


Random Valentines

by LucidaCentury (Sephora909)



Series: HiatusSundayFloof [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-03-11 04:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3313994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephora909/pseuds/LucidaCentury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every single person in Storybrooke is invited to take part in a high-tech secret Valentines. Bae begs his father to participate. Ruby begs her best friend to sign up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [Like and Reblog on Tumblr](http://lucidacentury.tumblr.com/tagged/Random-Valentines/chrono)

## D-20

Valentine's day was a big event in Storybrooke. Three weeks before the actual dreadful date, most shops had been decorated with hearts, roses, stupid-looking angels and anything else that reminded single people how lonely they were. To say Mr. Gold hated this sorry excuse of a holiday was a euphemism. By now, everyone knew better than to cross his path. This year, it had taken the townsfolk six raised rents and two “accidents” for them to remember to avoid him as soon as decorations were in sight.

His deep hatred for that day was hard to contain, and yet he couldn't let it out. For the sake of his son Bae, Gold had to stop grinding his teeth too much when he was around. He was such a lovely boy — nothing like the other fourteen years old wankers of this town — that of course he already had a girlfriend. And what kind of father would he be if he forbade his son from going on a date he spent a month planning, just for his own sake? Besides, he really like Emma. The fearless lively girl helped Bae becoming more outgoing. Bae didn't deserve to end up like his monster of a father. So, even though he didn't know how to encourage him, he at least did nothing to spoil his big day.

Bae wasn't stupid. It was plain to see that his father suffered from his loneliness and that he was torn between clinging to him not to be alone, and let him live his life like a normal teenager. His dad always wanted the best for him, but Bae wanted him to have it too. Of course, his father was ruthless with other people and he never had a nice word for anyone but him. But he was a good father. Bae knew he acted like that to protect himself from the world that hurt him so badly in the past. Now, it was more than time for him to move on. He simply needed some help, and Bae knew just how to give him that.

* * *

## D-14

As usual, his dad woke him up for school, giving him five minutes to get downstairs to come and eat his breakfast. When Bae realized what day it was, he bolted out of bed. The first part of his plan was about to start, he couldn't miss that. To avoid raising his father's suspicion, he waited for two long minutes before he joined him in the kitchen. The teenager was glad Emma had taught him all kind of tricks. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hide his excitement when he saw the front page of the newspaper on the table.

“Random Valentines? What's that?” he asked in his most innocent voice.

“A stupid idea of the mayor's son. I'm close to forbidding you to talk to him again.”

“Papa...”

Gold sighed at the annoyed tone of his teenager. Of course he would support such nonsense. He was even surprised Bae hadn't thought about it before Henry. He gave his son a bowl of hot chocolate and sat opposite him at the table to butter his toasts.

“It's something for single people, you're not concerned.”

“If it concerns you, it's even more interesting.”

Before Gold could grab the bloody Storybrooke Daily Mirror to throw it in the garbage where it belonged, his son had it in his hands, wisely keeping it out of reach. The fact that he hadn't thought about tearing it to pieces before his son came made him want to hit his head on the table.

“'It's a chance for single people of Storybrooke not to spend Valentine's Day alone. With some luck, they might even find their true love,' explains Henry Mills, our mayor's son. The concept is simple and relies on high-technology. Everyone who registers will get a bracelet which will be linked randomly to another participant's. Touching one bracelet makes the other one vibrate. Participants have three days to discover who they're paired with, the third being Valentine's Day. Once they find one another, they decide if they want to spend the holiday together, whether in a romantic or a friendly way.”

Everything was described as Bae had planned. Henry was a real friend. Of course, he convinced his mother by telling her he wanted to do that because he didn't want her to be alone on Valentine's Day. It wasn't even a lie. Ms. Mills was too busy to find a boyfriend and Henry wanted her to be happy, just as much as Bae wanted his dad to be happy. If their parents didn't hate each other so much, the boys would have been ecstatic about becoming brothers.

Bae scanned the rest of the article which gave information about the high-tech bracelet the kick-starter he discovered on the internet agree to give to the town for free as a test. There were also people telling what they thought about this event, and details about the rules and the planning. When he looked up from the newspaper, Bae saw his father looking at him with a worried expression. Usually, his dad couldn't refuse him anything. It probably explained his panicked and pleading eyes.

“You look like I'm about to send you to a slaughterhouse,” he laughed.

He couldn't be more right. Gold hid his face in his hands. He was a grown up, he could refuse whatever his son asked him. Or hadn't even asked yet. It was only a matter of time, though. Gold could even hear the countdown ticking in his head. He took a deep breath and sighed.

“But you want me to participate, don't you?”

It was his son's turn to sigh.

“I just want you to be happy, papa.”

“But I'm happy with you, Bae.”

“I know! It's just that having a girlfriend is one of the greatest things that happened to me, and I'd like you to know how it feels too.”

He really had the nicest son. Gold couldn't help his stupid smile. Milah had made a mess out of him, but at least, she had given him the most perfect boy.

“I'm too old to have a girlfriend, son.”

“You're never too old to find your true love!”

“Now I know you've been spending too much time with Henry.”

“I'm serious papa! I'm not saying the person you'll find with Random Valentines will be The One. But you could think of it as an exercise to meet new people. Storybrooke isn't such a small city, you don't know everyone. There must be someone you can at least get along with, someone you can talk to that isn't me. A friend.”

It was a rather hard thing to hear from his son's mouth. Gold was terrible at socializing and he had no wish to improve. In this town, he was a beast, a monster everyone knew to avoid. He didn't mind that everyone hated him — the feeling was mutual — as long as he had Bae's love. It reminded him of the time when his son came home from school crying because no one wanted to be his friend since the frightening Mr. Gold was his father. It took Henry Mills who had a similar problem and the rebellious little Emma Swan to get Bae out of his loneliness. Gold was still trapped in his own darkness when his son wasn't around. He had gotten used to it.It was familiar. Yet he couldn't possibly tell that to his son. The poor boy worried already far too much about his old man, there was no need to burden him with more. When he looked back at his son, he couldn't say no to his sad eyes.

“Alright.”

The effect of this one simple word was immediate. Bae beamed up at him as if he just bought him the new console he kept asking him for.

“But if I have to date a man, I'll blame you.”

“Don't worry papa, Storybrooke isn't ready for some homo yet. You get paired with someone of the opposite gender. But just so you know, I'm open minded. I wouldn't mind having two dads.”

Gold snorted. He did raise his son well. Too well, maybe.

“And what if I get paired with... Granny? Or worst, Regina?”

“There is an age limit, and before you ask, you're not beyond it. As for Regina, she's the organizer, she'll probably cheat.”

“Fair point.”

Shit, his son had him cornered. He raked his hand through his hair and sighed.

“Listen, papa,” Bae said as he put a hand on his father's shoulder like the man he was becoming. “I don't want to force you. I simply think it would be good for you to see someone, and this is a perfect opportunity. But this decision has to come from you, otherwise there's no point to it. Just promise me to think about it and I'll stop bothering you with that. Deal?” he asked as he outstretched his hand like he had seen his father do in his shop.

Bae had always been so mature for his age, Gold always wondered if he wasn't an adult trapped into a boy's body. He was so proud of him. How could he refuse?

“Deal.”

They shook hands, looking at each other with all the affection they had for each other. Gold didn't know if he would sign up. He still thought it was a terrible idea. But he wouldn't break his deal. He'll seriously consider participating.

“Now drink your cold chocolate before you're late for school.”

“What about your cold coffee?”

“First, I’m not in full growth. And secondly, as much as I’d like to, coffee doesn’t help to get taller.”

* * *

“Belle! Have you seen this?!”

No sooner had Belle put a foot in the diner than Ruby shoved a newspaper in her face. Though many people praised the librarian for her grace and beauty, she snorted like a pig. As soon as she had seen the headline in the newspaper she received at the library, she knew her best friend would be uncontrollably excited about this stupid event. She even hesitated to come to the diner. Yet there was no escaping Ruby with (what she thought was) good news. She could swear that the red-haired woman had been watching out for her arrival, waiting for her prey to fall in her trap and rub the librarian’s lonely life in her face. Better get this over with quickly.

“Breathe, Ruby, breathe.”

Belle put her hands on her friend's shoulder, first to encourage her to calm down, and second to gently push her out of the way so she could go to the counter and order a cup of latte. This strategy was a failure: Ruby just grabbed her arms with claw-like hands. Shit.

“How can I breath when this rat hole is having a secret Valentine's Day?! Don't you realize this is going to be fabulously romantic?”

A slight frown from Belle was all it took to make Ruby howl. At least she let her go, so the short brunette quickly went to the bar where Granny would dissuade her granddaughter from gossiping. Except Granny was nowhere to be seen. Shit on a shit.

“Belle, please don't tell me you're against this blessing,” she pleaded with watery eyes.

The lost puppy eyes were too powerful on Belle. She couldn't lie to her. Anyway, she wasn't such a good liar. She took a deep breath to brace herself for the sermon about going out to get a boyfriend.

“I'm sorry...”

“No!”

“I'm sorry,” she repeated more forcefully, “but I don't believe I'll find a suitable boyfriend thanks to a stupid bracelet.”

This time, it was Ruby who snorted. Belle was kind of jealous of how her friend made that noise sound cute.

“Suitable boyfriend, Belle? The rules don't say you have to marry the man you get with the bracelet. You don't even have to date him if you don't want to.”

“You know I would feel obligated to do so. If he's nice but not my type, I couldn't possibly leave the man alone on Valentine's Day.”

Now Ruby only sighed. Of course Belle would think about other people's feelings and happiness before her own. It was why she was the was one of the few who didn't see her as a slut. Belle had always been there for her, and she wanted to do the same for her. She knew about her friend's loneliness. Besides their nights at the Rabbit Hole and their shopping sessions, all she did were things with her father or alone (such as reading or going on walks in the forest). Ruby didn’t quite understand why a beautiful woman like Belle didn’t want to look for a boyfriend. She always tried to make it sound like a quest to appeal to her literary side. How could she not see this as the wonderful adventure it was?

“What if you actually like him? What if you get prince charming?”

“I highly doubt that. Prince charming isn't that desperate.”

Belle allowed herself a chuckle which she shared with her friend. Prince charming could stay wherever the hell he was, she liked dragons far more. Maybe it was the reason why she never like the men Ruby introduced her to. They were all princes and she wanted a dragon.

“More seriously, though. Lucky as I am, I'll probably get one of your terrible exes.”

“At least you'd know they're okay with casual sex.”

“Ruby!”

Blue glaring eyes couldn't tame her friend's horrible sense of humor. Belle was blushing and she hated herself for that. She was too old to have only one man on her hit list. And what a man… Her downcast gaze was fixed on her hands. Was she being too difficult? Was hoping for the right guy to turn up so wrong? Her books had certainly set the bar high. She wanted mystery, adventure, a man with intellect who would accept her bookish nature, and admire her for that. A man who would offer her a book instead of flowers and chocolate was all she wanted.

“Don't worry, Belle. We'll find your prince.”

Ruby's hand on her shoulder was soothing, but the 'we' definitely chased her sadness away. Belle hadn't had a friend in a long while. Not that she was shy, or shunned people's company. She just usually liked books better, and others found her a bit odd. Ruby had never minded her dreamy naivety. Since the first time Belle came in the diner, the librarian and the waitress had struck an unlikely friendship. They were both attracted to opposite, she thought.

“Thanks Ruby.”

“You're quite welcome. A latte, as usual?”

A nod, and the waitress turned around to make her drink. The newspaper was just beside her. It was tempting her like a forbidden fruit. On her way here, Belle had heard a girl saying to her friends that the interview the mayor's son published in the Storybrooke Daily Mirror was so sweet she decided to sign up just to support him. Belle couldn't take that risk. She already nearly fell for what was written on the front page, she had to stay away from the content. Hopefully, Ruby came back soon.

“One latte.”

“Thanks.”

While Belle took a sip of her drink, Ruby opened the newspaper. She would not give in. At least not because of a child's cuteness. When Ruby chuckled, she knew she was in trouble again.

“Little Henry believes in true love, it seems. Do you think it’s a kind of message to Grace Hatter?”

“Whatever it is, I hope they’ll spend Valentine’s Day together.”

Ruby quickly read the rest of the article, then bit her lip with a distant look. When her eyes were back on Belle, she had a glint in her eyes that the brunette had rarely seen.

“I’m gonna ask Archie out.”

“Really?” Belle said cheerfully.

The red-haired woman has had a crush on the shrink since a while, but no matter how self-confident she was, she never dared to act on her feelings.

“What changed your mind?”

“I don't know... I think I'd get pissed if Archie signs up. Then I'd have to sign up too and bribe Henry into linking our bracelets together.”

The stupid smile on the tall woman's face told her this wasn't the whole story, but there would be time for that. Belle thought she was a bit ashamed of being attracted by an older man. Personally, she had no objection to that. Love wasn't about age.

“If it comes to it, tell him he can get free reading reports.”

“Thanks Belle.”

They laughed and talked some more before it was time to work. Granny came out of the kitchen, blaring that Ruby should go check their stock of lasagna. A heavy sigh and rolled eyes followed.

“You're lucky to be your own boss, Belle, cherish that while I'm working like a slave.”

“I will,” she answered with a chuckle.

Belle got up, and before she had time to do anything, Ruby shoved the newspaper into her hands.

“I dare you to read that and tell me it won't be a great adventure.”

Then she was gone. For a moment, Belle stayed there, staring at the paper in her hands. Challenges and adventures were both things that Belle couldn't resist to. Ruby knew that and wittingly used it against her. Many people thought she was just a bimbo, but she should never be underestimated.

With the newspaper still in her hand and a head buzzing with thoughts, Belle walked to the library. She really could get paired with anyone. Any man of Storybrooke. The annoying, the dumb, the pervert... Or the sweet lonely man who didn't like flirting with strangers in bars but wanted to try meeting someone looking for a relationship, just like her. If she was sure such a man existed in Storybrooke, she'd sign up without an afterthought. As lost in her thoughts as she was, Belle nearly collided with someone.

“Sorry,” she instinctively said.

“It's no matter, dearie.”

The impeccably dressed man gave her a small crooked smile. Before she could be sure of what happened, the man she recognized as Mr. Gold went on his way. She wondered what made the renowned and feared landlord smile. It certainly wasn't the prospect of participating in this secret Valentines.


	2. Chapter 2

## D-13

When Belle walked past the city hall to get to the library, she saw a small line of people waiting to get in. It took her a moment to remember that registration for the secret Valentines began this morning. She had hoped she could avoid the whole thing a while longer, but it followed her like a plague. The day before, a couple of men she knew only from sight came to the library. They all thought they were so subtle, it was laughable. Still, it was flattering to know people had a crush on her. God, she really didn't know what she wanted. One moment she complained about unwanted attention and the next she blushed at her list of suitors.

Once she got in the library, Belle collapsed on her desk chair. She had just the thing to make her feel better about her doubts in her drawer. Among the odd pencil and paper clip lost in the dust, there was the picture of a young man. Belle took it out and blew on it to get the dust off. The jerk on the photograph smiled at her with Colgate white teeth. When this picture was taken, Gaston Knight was 23 and probably already cheating on her. She had cared about him, his protective wide arms, his fencer skills, even his smelly feet. Maybe she did neglect him. Now she could see that their relationship was bound to fail: the level of their conversions was so low, and she was so enraptured by her life in college, that it never could have ended well for them. She had just hoped he would have had the courage to end things before she discovered him in her bed with a pulpy blond.

Years later, the wound was still open. The trust in men she lost with him didn't come back. Belle stopped crying about it a long time ago, he didn't deserve her tears. It was only back then that Belle realized he had never liked her for who she really was. He never went to a library with her, he never asked her about her courses, and he never bought her a book. How they stayed together for three years was a mystery of which only lovesick 21 years old Belle had the answer. Present Belle closed her eyes, let out a deep sigh, and put the photograph back in its drawer. She didn't want to keep it at home, but the memories attached to it were hard to throw away.

The librarian's eyes fell on the newspapers on the far end of her desk. The three of them from the day before. There was the library's, Ruby's, and her father's. It was far too much for someone who tried to avoid the current events. Belle put the latter two in the trash after tearing them, and went to put the library's copy in the archive. When she came back to her desk, her phone buzzed, displaying a picture of her dad.

“Hi dad,” she said with her usual cheerfulness.

“Hi Belle. Do you know what happened to my newspaper from yesterday?”

Yes, she was currently staring at it, or rather, what was jutting out of her trash can.

“I don't know. Maybe someone stole it from your porch.”

Belle felt better about her theft by telling this half truth. When she saw the front page of the newspaper at the library the day before, her first thought had been to rush to her father's house and take the dangerous piece of paper away. Thinking back about it, it had been quite stupid since that wouldn't have prevented him from hearing about the town's sensational news. She just feared he would pressure her into participating. He always looked so sad when she told him she went out alone…

“Damn it! Did you hear about this Valentines thing? I go out of town for one day to order some new flowers and it's on this one day that something interesting happens!”

Only her father could make her smile while she dreaded someone's reaction. Belle chuckled.

“Don't worry, papa, you still have thirteen days to get acquainted with this madness.”

“In thirteen days, I fear it'll be too late.”

Too late? Oh no. Belle's face distorted in shock.

“You want to participate?!”

“Don't sound so surprised. I'm still eligible.”

“But you never told me you were looking for someone.”

Belle hated how much she sounded like a whiny child about to get a cruel stepmother. Yet she couldn't help herself. How had he never told her about that?

“Belle, I... I didn't want to upset you. And I'm not really looking for someone. I just thought this would be a nice way to meet a nice person. The thing is, I sell flowers all day long, but I miss giving them. You understand?”

How could she be mad at the lovely man that was her father? If he wanted to get some company, she wasn't about to prevent him from seeking it.

“Of course I do. I hope you'll have fun and meet the best woman of Storybrooke.”

“I already have, because it's you.”

“Dad,” she said fondly as she rolled her eyes.

“I know, you're not a little girl anymore.”

He paused for a moment, then asked her with a hesitant voice:

“Will you... Will you participate too? Then you can help me with my bracelet,” he quickly added, as if to make her forget his question “You know I'm not that good with technology.”

“Don’t worry about the bracelet, I'll help you. But I'm not sure yet if it will be with my own bracelet.”

An embarrassed cough and an awkward laugh told her more than he could have. Belle bit her lips as she realized she worried for nothing.

“Alright. No problem. Take your time.”

“I will. Thanks.”

“You're still coming home tonight for dinner, aren’t you?”

“Of course. I already baked that rose flavored cake you're so fond of.”

“Wonderful. See you tonight, sweetheart.”

“See you, dad.”

Belle hung up with a large grin on her lips. She had the best dad in the world.

Some minutes later, an overexcited Ruby rushed in the library.

“He said yes! Belle! He said yes!”

The small librarian let out a shriek of delight and ran to hug her friend. After a couple of years of watching Ruby and Archie making gooey eyes at each other, it was a relief to hear they would get together at last. They will be such a cute couple.

“I'm so happy for you! How did you do it?”

“Well, last thing I did yesterday was calling him to get an appointment. You should have heard him, he sounded so cute and shy, as if he already knew my secret motive. When I saw him this morning, he blushed as soon as I said hi, so I couldn't keep my mouth shut for more than five seconds. And before I even finished my question, he said 'yes, I would love to'!”

“Did you kiss him then?”

“Not yet. He's not like the guys I dated so far. He's more… Well, you know how he is. So I hugged him pretty hard, kissed him on the cheek and gave him my number. Then I told him to call me anytime and left. He looked so happy and his smile was so stupidly pleased…”

Ruby sighed blissfully. Her face radiated with joy. After all her disastrous previous relationships, Ruby deserved to find her happiness. Archie was such a nice and gentle man, Belle knew they would be happy together.

“Crap! I'm so late for work!”

“Don't worry, Granny will forgive you this time.”

“I wish I could be as confident as you about that.”

“I'm sure she wouldn't want to get in the way of true love.”

“Oh Belle, if only you knew…” she said with dreamy eyes. “You're coming to celebrate with me for lunch?”

“Definitely. See you!”

They waved goodbye, and Ruby left. In one day, the two people closest to Belle had already decided to change their lives. She still had three more days to take a decision. With a smile, the librarian sighed with content. She would not let other people influence her and robbing her of her choice. But it was nice to know that this secret Valentines was at least making some people happy.

* * *

In the backroom of his shop, Gold tried really hard not to curse Henry for his stupid idea. He was already in an emotional turmoil because of his son's first really serious date, he didn't need to worry about himself on top of that. Of course, he trusted Bae to know better than to let his teenager's urges control him, or, god forbid, to at least use a protection. Yet, he was still his father, and that's what fathers did, worrying about their children. If he was honest with himself, he would admit to using this situation to forget about how miserable he usually feels on Valentine's Day. But he wasn't an honest person. Anyway, it didn't matter anymore: he promised Bae to seriously consider participating in this farce of a town event, so he would.

If it was up to him, Gold would never even have thought about signing up. The feared monster of Storybrooke, looking for love? What a joke. He gnashed his teeth and clenched his fists. The coward inside him was winning again. He hated that.

The ringing bell of his shop shook him out of his thoughts. Whoever that was, he was tempted to kick them out. Gold picked up his cane and made his way to the front room. The ever patient Archibald Hopper was staring at a display case of jewelry. It stank of Valentine’s Day present.

“Hello, Mr Gold,” the shrink acknowledged him with a smile brighter than usual.

If he hadn't come for a Valentine’s Day present, Gold was ready to cut his hand off.

“What can I do for you?”

“I'm looking for a present. For my girlfriend.”

All trace of intelligence had completely deserted the poor man's gaze. His look was that of a man who just fell in love. Pathetic. Archie was one of the few person in Storybrooke on his list of people he could stand. Too bad that list just shortened.

“Ah. I see,” he replied. “I think I have just the thing for Miss Lucas.”

“How do you…?” he began, then stopped when the pawnbroker stared at him and send him a crooked smile.

“I have eyes, dearie,” he assured him.

It was funny how those four little words made the shrink blush. Everyone in town who spend some time at the diner could see how these two looked at each other. It was absurd they were only dating now. At some point, even Gold had wanted to shout at those helpless imbeciles to kiss.

The pawnbroker opened a display case and carefully took out a silver necklace with a wolf pendant inlaid with three small rubies. He set the jewel on a velvet display board and pushed it toward Archie who gaped at it.

“This necklace used to be worn as a charm against werewolves in Eastern Europe.”

“It's magnificent,” he whispered. “How much do want for it?”

“Four hundred and sixty dollars.”

When Archie heard the price, his eyes widened and he gaped at Gold. The town monster grinned at him like the devil himself. The only perk of Valentine's Day was the revenue the presents brought him. Every man who wanted to impress a girl with an expensive gift was bound to end up in his shop. How could he deny himself the only good part of this holiday?

“This is a unique piece. With real silver and genuine rubies. A perfect match for your lady,” he affirmed with a wolfish smile.

The way Archie's mouth twitched at the mention of his new girlfriend did go unnoticed. Gold had him. The poor man sighed and grabbed his wallet.

“Alright, I take it. Do you take credit cards?”

If possible, the pawnbroker's smile widened even more. Valentine's Day did have its perks. He silently thanked Archie for reminding him of that.

* * *

## D-12

Since the day the secret Valentines was announced, Gold feared reading the newspaper. Who knew what this gossip of a journalist would write? Usually, he didn't mind that editorial choice, it was useful to get acquainted with the town's rumors without talking to anyone. But when it came to that awful day, he feared the worst: reading his name. Gold had been tempted to just throw the rag away when he saw the V word, but he didn't want Bae to notice how upset the newspaper made him. Therefore, he forced himself to read this junk. The things he did for his son. Bae came down the stairs just in time to hear his father snicker.

“What are you laughing at?” he ask warily.

“Just read this crap,” Gold growled.

Bae took the Storybrooke Daily Mirror his dad hold out to him. In this morning's edition, Sidney Glass had chosen to publish citizens' interview about the upcoming secret Valentine. The first person to talk was a 24 years old woman who chose to stay anonymous. Bae only had to read her first sentence to know why.

“I hope many people will participate, because I don't want to get paired with old Gold. They said there would be age categories if there were enough people for that, and I'm waiting for that to happen before I sign up. Just imagine if Gold participate. I'm unlucky enough to get paired with that beast.”

His child's nose was scrunched in disgust. Gold cursed that rag for upsetting his Bae. At least he had his son's support.

“Emma and Henry will help me find her. Then you can raise her rent,” the angry teenager declared mercilessly.

Gold gaped at his son. He rarely saw him like this. If anything, his son was a gentle soul who reminded him to be nicer to people whenever he had the occasion. This protectiveness Bae had for him warmed his heart like the best father's day present.

“Don't waste your time, son. It's not worth it. Besides, she's not that wrong.”

“Papa!” his furious son shouted at him. “Don't let that bi… that woman tell you what to do!”

“I heard that B, Bae. And I'm just saying I wouldn't want to have a date with a bitch like that.”

Though Bae tried hard to remain serious, he let out a chuckle.

“Okay. I'll ask Henry to know what he can do about it.”

Bae gave him back the newspaper, and Gold continued to read to look for others excuses not to participate. The next woman gave him exactly what he wanted.

“Listen, Bae: 'Personally, I'm having real doubts about this event. Don't mistake me, this is a great idea for people who don't want to be alone on the day that so many single persons dread. Yet I can't help but think this is not for me. I heard many people talking about what they wanted to find, and most of the time, it's only a one day — or one night — relationship. I'm not looking for that. Destiny could make my wish come true, but what are the odds?' I've never heard a more sensible woman,” Gold concluded. “Surely you wouldn’t want a father who sleeps around, would you?”

Bae ignored him and squinted at the interview. This time, the woman had agreed to give her name. Belle French. Bae knew her, but not as much as Henry did. She was the town's librarian, and since his friend shared her passion about books, they were quite close to each other. Henry often spoke about her, and each time, it was to praise her. Bae bit his lips. It was time to begin the second part of operation Gecko.


	3. Chapter 3

Bae did his best to hide his excitement. After his morning shower, he frowned at himself in the mirror and forced his smile into a scowl. This evening, he would meet the woman who might become his step-mother. Sure, he already knew Belle, but he didn’t really spend much time with her, or at the library. When he wasn't home doing chores to help his father, Bae liked to wander around town better than doing his homework with the librarian as Henry did. On his occasional visits, though, the teenager was always amazed by how many things the small brunette knew. Not only could she answer the hardest questions for his homework, but she also had a gift to recommend books.

His father glanced at him from time to time through his breakfast while his son dried his hair and prepared for school. Bae noticed it, but his dad didn't do more than frown at him. The boy was at the door, putting on his jacket and backpack when he said with his best impression of indifference:

“Oh, and Henry wants us to work on our project at the library after school, so don't worry if I'm late.”

“What project?”

“Just a short oral presentation about that book we're studying in class. It shouldn't take much time.”

His father looked skeptical, but he didn't push it. If he was waiting for his son to give him an explanation, he would have to wait until the 14th. He gave his son his skateboard.

“I see. Then I'll stay a bit longer in the shop to do some homework of my own. Have a good day.”

“You too, papa.”

Bae kissed his dad and rode down the street on his skateboard. Once he was out of his father's sight, he went faster. He couldn't wait to ask Henry if his plan was a good idea. Fortunately, his friend was always a bit early. His mother's car not far from the gates.

Interrupting Henry’s family business was a mistake he had done once and wasn't eager to do again. It wasn't that Regina didn't like him. On the contrary, she spoiled him every time he came to spend some time with Henry — which was surprising considering how much she hated his father. These days, there was a rising tension between Henry and his mother regarding his missing father. Regina rarely spoke of him and Henry had begun to get seriously interested in him. This whole secret Valentines had helped them to quiet things down between them, but the situation was still a bit awkward.

When Henry saw Bae, he quickly said goodbye to his mom and got out the car. Regina looked sad, but she smiled when she waved at Bae. The boy waved back, then the car drove off to the mayor’s office. Bae felt a bit sorry for Regina. She did her best to be a good mother, but just like his own father, she was a single parent who had no one to turn to when there was a familial problem. He hoped she would find someone nice thanks to the secret Valentines.

“Hey,” Henry greeted him with a cheerless smile.

“Hey. Still having problems with your mom?”

“Yeah, I’m kinda worried about her. She looks gloomy all the time. I’m starting to think she actually killed my dad.”

“Come on,” he cheered him up with a hand on his shoulder. “Your mom is just like my dad: they’re scary most of the time, but secretly, they’re really nice.”

That made Henry genuinely smile. When he was with his friends, he could almost forget he didn’t have a father who loved him.

“Why are you so early anyway? I bet you didn’t even do your math exercises.”

“Who cares about math? I’m working on operation Gecko.”

“Oh. Did something happen?”

As Bae told him about his father’s reaction to Belle’s interview, the two teenagers went to their spot in the schoolyard. The triangle made out of three trees in a corner was the perfect place to talk, spy and plot without being heard.

“For once, he seemed to really appreciate what someone of this town said,” Bae explained.

“That's the thing with Belle: she's beautiful and clever. If anyone can make your dad fall in love, it's her. Do you think they already know each other?”

“No, I would definitely remember if he told me about her. Can you cheat and pair them together?”

“Did you really think I would let our parents date anyone?”

Bae chuckled. Henry had an angel's face which made him look all nice and innocent, but like his mom, he knew how to get around rules.

“Okay, but I'd like to talk to her first, just to be sure. Are you free after school?”

“Hey! Are you asking Henry out?”

The terrifying Emma Swan stood right behind them. Bae smiled fondly at his love. He liked her because she was everything he wanted to be: bold, daring, and strong. But he loved her for letting him see what no one else knew: that she was as insecure as him and needed all the love she could get.

“You're invited too. I'm going to see Belle at the library. It's for operation Gecko.”

“You want Belle to get together with your dad? Lucky her,” she sneered.

“Come one, I know you like my dad.”

Emma rolled her eyes at him. It was true she kinda liked his father. He didn't judge her and made delicious cakes. Yet she also liked their unspoken agreement that they pretended to hate each other. Besides, he was far more cool than her boring parents who seemed to have stepped out of a fairy tale.

“I'm sorry guys,” Henry said in a discreet tone while keeping his eyes lowered, “You'll have to go without me. My mom wants to go shopping with me.”

“Liar,” Emma called. “You didn't look at me.”

“That proves nothing.”

“Then look me in the eye and say it again.”

Henry's mouth twisted. Emma had a secret power which allowed her to know when people lied. It came in handy more than once.

“Come on, you can tell us anything,” Bae encouraged him.

“Okay,” Henry finally said with a sigh. “I'm going to ask Grace out.”

Emma grinned in delight and bit her lips while Bae clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder.

“It'll be alright, don't worry. She looks at you all the time.”

That made Henry's cheeks turn a deep shade of red. If Grace turned him down, she had to be the most stupid girl in the world. Emma and Bae made him promise to tell them the big news as soon as he could in exchange of keeping their mouth shut until it was official. The ringing bell called them in class, but their minds were all elsewhere.

* * *

After the school bus took them back to the city center, the library was a short skateboard ride away. Emma went in first and discovered a short woman carrying a pile of books so high she wasn't quite sure it was Belle behind it.

“Let me help,” the teenager said as she grabbed the top of the pile.

“Thanks. Emma,” Belle said with surprise when she could see before her again. “It's been a while since I saw you in here. And Bae too. How are you?”

The librarian went to set the books on her desk. Emma followed her and let Bae answer since on the way, he had told her he had a lie ready to give.

“Henry and I have a book report to do about The Little Prince by Exupery, so I need to borrow it.”

“This is a really fine book, I'm sure you'll enjoy it,” Belle affirmed while she used her computer to look for the book. “Ah! Got it.”

The moment Belle disappeared to the back of the library, Emma went behind her desk.

“What are you doing?” Bae asked, a bit scared to get caught.

“Stealing her smartphone,” she answered with sarcasm and a sigh. “I'm looking for clues to help your dad, stupid.”

“Oh. And what do see?”

It was nice to have Emma on his side. She was good at finding out stuff about people. He would feel so lost without her.

“Two… Jules Verne books. There's no library card in them so they're hers. A rose. And a piece of pink cake.”

“You think she got the rose from a man?”

Before Emma could answer, the clatter of Belle's high heels warned them about her return. Emma went back beside Bae as if nothing happened. Belle didn't notice a thing. She checked out Bae's book and handed it to him.

“Here you go. If you want advice for your report, you can ask me.”

Bae chuckled. It was comical how Belle was so eager to do their homework whenever a book was involved. At least, he knew what his father could give her as a Valentine's Day present.

“If Henry and I ask you for help, it wouldn't be fair to other groups. You know so much about books, we’d be sure to have the best grade.”

A shy blush crept on Belle's face. She was really pretty like that. Clever and cute was definitely the way he wanted his stepmother to be.

“Speaking of Henry, why isn't he with you?”

“He had other plans,” Emma said with a sly grin.

“Let me guess: Grace?”

“It's supposed to be a secret until we hear from him, but it's pretty sure they'll be together for Valentine's Day.”

At those last words, Belle's smile deflated a bit. Bae remembered her interview in the newspaper. Apparently, she had some issues with her love life. He truly felt sorry for her. A joyful and gentle woman like her shouldn't be so sad when talking about love. He didn't know if his father could change that, but if they could at least be sad about their past love together, it would be a good thing for both of them.

“Good for him,” Belle cheered. “He told me so much about her, it's hard to imagine they weren't together before now.”

“Yeah, I think he feared she'd sign up for his secret Valentines. By the way,” Bae added in his most casual tone, “we read your interview at home and my father thinks just the same as you.”

“Oh? Really?”

The small pleased smile on Belle's face didn't go unnoticed to Bae and Emma who shared a knowing glance. Now there was just one more thing to know.

“Wasn't it in that same newspaper that there was this woman denigrating your dad?” Emma asked Bae with a faked interest worth an Oscar.

“Yes, it was,” Belle immediately answered with a sneer. “I was with her at Granny's where Sydney trapped me to get an interview. I'm sure she never even talked to your father. Not that I did talk to him, but if he raised such a lovely boy on his own, then he can't be that bad.”

The softness in her bright blue eyes were more than anything Bae had hoped for. Henry was right. Belle was perfect for his father. And his father could even help her with her disappointment in love by telling her how much his former wife messed him up.

“Can you give me her name? I need to avenge my dad.”

“Okay, maybe you're not that lovely, then.”

Their conversation ended with fond laughter. They waved goodbye and the couple of teenagers went home on Bae's skateboard.

“I vote for her as your stepmom.”

“Me too, Emma. I even know how to get to step three of operation Gecko before the big date.”

* * *

The day had been quiet in the pawnbroker's shop. A couple of fools came in, hoping to make a good deal for Valentine's Day. As always, Gold was the one who got the better part of the bargains. Days like these were the best, and he intended to finish it by varnishing a William IV mahogany wardrobe he couldn't possibly bring home. Just after he set his stool in front of the piece of furniture, his cellphone rang. Bae.

“Hey papa! Are you still at the shop?”

“Yes. Aren't you supposed to be in the library?”

It wasn't like Bae to lie to him. Yet he noticed his son had a strange behavior these days, and particularly this morning. Who knew what he was up to? At least, he hoped it wasn't something dangerous or that involved Valentine's Day. It was already dark outside and he didn’t like knowing his son was out and about at night.

“I was, but Henry had an emergency and couldn't come. I still went there with Emma to borrow a book, and the thing is, I think I forgot my scarf.”

“You think?” Gold asked with sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Having a dreamy son was nice, but it also meant he often had his head in the clouds. Gold couldn't remember all the times Bae lost his things when he was younger, but he sure as hell could name each cuddly toy that suddenly decided to leave to find its family. He had hoped that at least, this scarf in particular wouldn’t meet the same fate. Gold had spun its wool, dyed it and knitted it himself as a present for his son’s tenth birthday. Knowing it was lost unnerved him.

“I looked everywhere in the house and I didn't find it. And since the shop is close to the library, I thought you might go and ask Belle.”

“Who's Belle?”

“The librarian. Emma and I chatted with her before leaving, that’s probably when I forgot my scarf.”

Gold sighed again, just to make sure his son understood how much his unfocused mind annoyed him. His varnishing would have to wait.

“Alright, but dinner would better be ready when I come home.”

“It will. Thanks papa.”

“No matter, son. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Bae hung up. It was rare to find a teenager who willingly told his dad he loved him, even when no one was there to hear. Gold smiled fondly at his phone and its background picture showing a seven-year-old Bae hugging him. Though he was all grown up now, he still hadn't lost his bad habit of scattering his things all across the town.

Gold put on his coat and went out of shop by the back door. After locking it and making sure the entrance was locked as well, he walked to the library. Thinking about it, he never went inside. He bought all the books he wanted, and he didn't want to shame Bae and his friends the few times he picked them up. The name of the librarian sounded familiar, though he couldn't quite remember where he heard it. If he was lucky, the woman would have found the scarf and would be waiting for him, shaking like a leaf at the thought of meeting him. He was a few feet away from the door of the library when he heard an angry feminine voice coming from the less frequented right side of the building.

“What part of 'no, I'm not interested' don't you understand?”

“Easy, Belle,” a man answered her. “I just don't want you to be alone on Valentine's Day.”

“What if I want to be alone?”

Her question was met with a forced cold laugh.

“Come on, love, you're not serious,” the man affirmed. “Not as long as I'm asking you out.”

Gold hadn't meant to interfere in what was clearly not his business, but the man began to sound threatening. Hopefully, the sight of him would be enough to make the scum leave with his tail between his legs. If not… Well, he knew how to use his cane.

“Is there a problem, dearie?”

In the dark, it was rather hard to make out the faces of the people before him, even if both of them were staring at him. He walked closer to get a better look. The small woman looked familiar, and even in the dim light, her distress was obvious on her beautiful face. The bulky man had her trapped against the wall, his dirty paws on both sides of her head. He looked like a nasty grizzly bear taunting its prey before eating it alive. Disgusting.

“Fuck off, old man.”

Gold scoffed. So it was going to be like this. Alright.

“You'd better mind your language, mister Nottingham. I'm sure the sheriff would appreciate the effort when you tell him about your business on the docks.”

That got the man's attention. Gold liked to know everything that happened in his town, especially the illicit activities of scum like Keith Nottingham. That way, the vermin knew better than to come any closer to him and his family.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” the man said through gritted teeth.

“If you let the lady go, I would be inclined to forget about it too.”

Nottingham glared at him, gauging him. Whether his little traffic was more important than the woman or Gold's reputation did its job, the scum took a satisfying step back.

“You can keep her,” he growled. “The bitch isn't worth it.”

After a dramatic sigh, Gold tutted as he shook his head. He could not abide such insults, even from the mouth of an oversized rat like him.

“You really should work on your language, dearie. Now apologize to the lady.”

“Or what?”

Nottingham walked closer to Gold to intimidate him with his height. Though he towered above him, the pawnbroker only smirked at him. Gold knew how to deal with his kind. A quick hit with his cane handle in his windpipe and he'd squirm at his feet with the effort of trying to breath.

“Stop it!”

Both men turned to stare at the young woman. She looked horrified, gaping at them and watching them with wide eyes. Though she had remained silent until now, she now made up for it by ending this fight before it even started. She interposed herself between the two men, and faced her aggressor.

“I don't care about your apologies,” she shouted at Nottingham. “Just leave. All you'll get is a one-way ticket to jail.”

The vermin's eyes went from the woman to Gold who gripped his can a bit tighter, just in case. Finally, Nottingham scoffed and walked away.

“The virgin bookworm and the town's monster,” he whispered loud enough for them to hear. “What a nice couple for Valentine's Day.”

That prick. He'll see what it costs to insult Mr Gold.

“Thank you.”

The woman's words and her hands on his arm startled him out of his anger. She was smaller than him, but so beautiful her deep blue eyes trapped him the moment their gaze met. How could anyone want to harm her?

When her smile widened, Gold realized he had been staring and gaping at her long enough to make a fool of himself. To save what little was left of his fearsome reputation, he looked away and shrugged.

“No matter.”

“But that jerk could have hurt you really badly.”

“I might not look like it, but I can defend myself, dearie,” he said, glancing at his cane.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. That was very brave of you to help me.”

“Like I said, it's no matter.”

Before he could embarrass himself further, he turned around without looking back at her and went back to the library. If not for the sign on the door, his day would have ended relatively well.

“Closed?” Gold whispered. “Damn it.”

“I can open again for you. If you want.”

The small woman was back beside him. Gold squinted at her. He hoped she wouldn't follow him home. Although Bae would be delighted to see him with a woman.

“Are you the librarian?”

“Yes, I'm Belle,” she answered him with a large smile. “What are you looking for? If it's not indiscreet, of course.”

“My son came earlier and possibly forgot his scarf here. I'm afraid he's a bit of a scatterbrain.”

“Is your son… Bae?”

“Yes,” he replied with some reluctance.

Did Bae lack so much attention that she guessed who he was with just this poor description? They would have a long talk after dinner.

“He's a wonderful boy, you can be proud of him.”

The librarian's fond smile turned his frown into a small smirk. Hearing someone compliment Bae always made him feel so joyful, he forgot for a moment why he even came here.

“However, I'm quite sure he left with his scarf around his neck. It's a beautiful one, I would have noticed if he left it here.”

“Are you sure you didn't keep it, dearie?” he questioned her.

His accusation came out his mouth before he thought about it. He would have to work on his habit of being despicable with people. Hopefully, she must have thought he was teasing her since she chuckled with a little blush.

“I would have been tempted, but I'm sure Bae would have missed it.”

Her constant smile unsettled him. Gold wasn't used to having someone other than his son being so happy in his presence. He just accused her of theft, and yet she was concerned about Bae. That Belle sure was a unique woman.

“I don't think so, since I have to force him to wear it.”

Another laugh escaped from her red lips. Gold was sure he never heard someone who wasn't Bae laugh so much with him. This was getting ridiculous. A nice and beautiful woman like her shouldn't want to have anything to do with him.

“I'd better go. Bae might be burning our dinner.”

“Alright. Thanks again for rescuing me.”

“It was my pleasure, dearie,” he asserted while theatrically bowing to her.

“You mean you enjoy threatening people?”

Her tone was mischievous, but if she knew about the darkness lurking inside him, she wouldn't laugh that much. Maybe she didn't know his name, after all.

“I'm Mr Gold, dearie, what did you expect?”

Belle tilted her head and bit her lip as she squinted at him. Though he hadn't felt threatened by Nottingham, he was anxious about her answer. At least he could guess what was on the man's simple mind. Belle, on the other hand, was a book written in a foreign language he couldn't read.

“With such a nice son, I expect you to only threaten bad guys to save damsels in distress.”

He sneered. That was something he couldn't have her spread around the town. He had a reputation to maintain.

“Bae likes you,” he simply said. “I don't want his friends to get hurt.”

A mysterious little smile appeared on her face. Gold couldn't help but rise a questioning eyebrow.

“You're an odd one, Mr Gold,” she stated affectionately.

“I return the compliment.”

It really must be a compliment to her, since she was now grinning at him. This conversation had to end, or else he might get used to her beaming smiles. Thankfully, she was the one who made the brave move.

“Good night.”

“Good night, dearie.”

Gold turned and walked away. Some steps later, he heard Belle's voice shouting:

“You can call me Belle!”

When he looked back at her, he noticed she hadn't moved. Unlike her, he wasn't a demonstrative person. He answered her with a simple nod before resuming his walk to his car. What a strange meeting. And what a strange person… Strange, but lovely. Oh, Bae will be delighted when he hears that.


	4. Chapter 4

## D-11

No. Gold wasn't looking out the window of his shop to catch a glimpse of the local librarian going to work. And he most certainly didn't have any afterthoughts about not escorting her wherever she lived.

As predicted, Bae had stared at him with stars in his eyes when he heard his father's story. Gold had clearly seen how much effort it took him to play it cool and not explode with joy. It was moving to see how hard his son was trying not to freak him out. Of course, once he was in his room and thought the walls were thick enough to hold his excitement, Bae proceeded to jump up and down for three whole minutes. If he added the other two minutes after Henry's call about his new girlfriend, it was unbelievable that Bae managed to sleep that night.

Perhaps she just didn't live on this side of the town. Gold was going through a mental list of the few places he didn't own when he mentally slapped himself. When did he start to think so much about this woman? Well, she had been in danger last night, it was only natural for him to worry about her. Yes, he was just worried about her well-being. Bae's fixation of getting him a girlfriend was confusing him.

Thinking of last night's events, he had a bone to pick with his new friend Mr Nottingham. Gold took his phone out of his pocket. He smirked devilishly when he found the number he was looking for.

“Mr Dove? I have a deal for you.”

* * *

“Belle? Be-elle? Do you think I'm boring since I'm with Archie?”

Just like a child caught sleeping in class by a teacher, Belle looked up and stared at her friend in confusion. The face Ruby was pulling wasn't a good sign. Since the beginning of their lunch at the diner, Belle has had trouble to focus on her friend's stories. She cringed and took Ruby's hand.

“I'm sorry. I…” she hesitated, then revealed a bit of the mystery. “Something happened last night, and I'm not sure I can tell you.”

“Why?” she asked in shock. “Did you kill someone? Because I swear I'd help you hide the body.”

“No,” Belle answered with a chuckle, “I didn't kill anyone, although I could think of a few names.”

“Tell me and I can get it done for you.”

Both women started to laugh, but Belle stopped short when a certain man in a suit came in. Their eyes met. They both froze. Belle's slightly gaping mouth turned into a grin and she discretely waved at him. Even from the distance, she saw the silent laugh that shook him. He smirked at her and nodded in greeting. Then he turned to bark his order at Granny and the moment was lost.

“What was that?”

Crap. There went her big secret. Belle cringed again when she looked back at Ruby and saw that her puzzled expression was close to turning into one of horror.

“When he's gone, I'll tell you. But you have to promise me to keep this to yourself. Not a word to anyone.”

“I promise you everything you want, just please don't leave me to my imagination.”

It turned out Gold's order had already been prepared and packed. Granny just grabbed a brown paperbag and shoved it at him. He thanked her through gritted teeth and didn't pay. On his way out, he turned his head halfway to Belle, looked at the ground, hesitated, then walked out without a glance back.

Ruby had been unable to resist staring at him, so she was now gaping at Belle and waiting for her explanations. She began by telling her about Keith, how he followed her out of the library, then how Gold had stepped in, like a knight sent by an angel. By respect for his private life, she didn't repeat anything he said about Keith’s business or Bae.

“So… Gold saved you from rape?” Ruby asked with suspicion.

“Yes, I wouldn't have stood a chance against Keith were it not for him.”

Although Belle was quite enthusiastic with her answer and wanted more than anything to prove her friend that her savior was a good man, Ruby still squinted at her. She couldn't really blame her. At least once a month, she told her how Gold threatened her and Granny about their rent. Besides, she also had her own father's experience with the man.

“Then… Did Gold ask you a favor? Or said anything about you being indebted to him? Gold isn't renowned for doing something for nothing.”

“No, nothing of that. I think he's just this way when it comes to money.”

Ruby took a moment to consider that. Hating Gold was almost a principle in Storybrooke since most of the town had to deal with him as a landlord. Belle was the only person she knew who wasn't threatened personally by him every month, and he had been more than nice to her when he didn't even know her. The red-haired woman send a sly smile at her friend.

“You know, I think you just discovered the biggest secret of this town.”

Belle chuckled and shook her head. Mr Gold was indeed one of the most important people in town, but to say that his antisocial personality and cruel sense of business was a mystery might be a little too much.

“That's what bothered you? The fact that he was actually nice to you? And yes, by saving you, he's forever on the nice guys list. Unless he kicks me and Granny out of the diner or the inn.”

The small smile on Belle's face threatened to widen into a shy grin. She was glad she managed to convinced her friend that Mr Gold wasn't as bad as his reputation. Now she could tell her what was on her mind without looking like she was crazy.

“It's just that I feel extremely grateful to him, and I don't know how to properly thank him. Each time I tried last night, he said it was nothing. At one point, he even looked like he just wanted me to leave him alone and do as if nothing happened.”

“I see. He doesn't want the town to know his reputation is all show, so he asks you to forget what happened. And now you're torn between respecting his request and expressing your bursting sense of gratitude.”

“Something like that, yes,” Belle admitted as she bit her lips.

Mr Gold had been a hero to her. She didn't want to spoil everything just because she felt guilty about not thanking him precisely when he didn't want to be thanked.

“As long as you're discreet, I don't think Gold would be mad at you,” Ruby advised her.

“Right. But what can I give to someone who has everything?”

Ruby seriously thought about it for three seconds, then her mind went in the gutter and she shot Belle a suggestive smirk.

“Ruby…”

“Just joking. I said he was on the nice guys list, not on the to do list.”

Belle had to bit her lips not to laugh. It was a good one, but she didn't want to encourage her on this path.

“Oh, Ruby. I hope that dirty mind of yours won't frighten away Archie.”

“He's a shrink, he has to like dirty minds to chose a job like that.”

“Fair point.”

“Ruby! Break's over!”

Granny's shouting tore both women from their deviant chat. It even made Belle jump in fear she overheard them. Ruby got up very slowly, taking her time and hoping her grandmother would go to the kitchen so she could tell one last thing to her friend. The second she disappeared from her sight, Ruby leaned down toward Belle.

“I can't really help you with antiques and expensive stuff, but I know what he likes to eat. So if you decide to cook for him, bet everything on pickles.”

“Pickles?”

“Yes, pickles. He keeps complaining about how we won't put enough of them in his sandwiches and hamburgers. Granny makes him pay an extra for them, as much to piss him off as to keep his orders profitable.”

“Thanks Ruby.”

“You're very welcome.”

The red-haired woman left the dining room with a wide grin. Sure, old and cranky Gold was the last man she had in mind when she thought of getting Belle a boyfriend. Yet it had been a while since she saw her making eyes at a man. Besides, his rescue mission made up for his usual sassy remarks and threats. Ruby still had trouble believing it happened, but no one could make that up. And the look Gold send her when he got in the diner! And Belle waving her tiny hand to greet him! If that wasn't adorable, she didn't know what was. Now all Ruby had to do was forget about hypothetical terrible double dates and believe in her friend's gift to befriend the most unlikely people.

* * *

## D-10

Belle's alarm clock rang, waking her up with a start. Today was the last day for registrations for Storybrooke's secret Valentines and she still hadn't made up her mind. She tried really hard not think about it as she went about her daily routine, but mechanical actions didn't provide the much needed distraction. Cooking a thank you gift for Mr Gold, however, even made her smile.

Last day, she spent the afternoon thinking what to do for her hero. Nothing was quite as good as Ruby's idea. Bringing him lunch was a small but thoughtful gesture, and with the pickles on her sides, she was sure to be welcomed. She spent the night on the internet, selecting the perfect recipe that wouldn't reveal Ruby's complicity.

Once all the food was cooked and packed, she put it in a small cute basket a la little red riding hood and hid its content with a blue flowery dish towel. She wondered if it wouldn’t be too much. Now that the basket was ready, it was silly to turn back. She would do the brave thing and hope that bravery would follow.

Belle spent the morning with her eyes glued to the clock and her heart beating abnormally fast. What was she doing? It was just a thank you gift. She shouldn't be that stressed out. Sure, it would help to know whether Gold would welcome her gift or find it inappropriate. Yet deep down, she knew it was because this was the closest thing to a date she's had since the end of her relationship with Gaston. Not that she thought of it as a date. It was a simple courtesy call to return him the favor.

At noon sharp, the library was closed and Belle took her courage in both hands along with her basket. She didn't stop at the door of the pawnbroker's shop and directly went in. Her first impression of the shop was one of wonder. The dim lighting along with the thousands of ancient objects gathered here gave the place an atmosphere full of history and mystery. Belle's eyes didn't know where to look. Her fingers itched to touch everything. If only objects could talk, what would they tell her?

“Miss French,” a silky voice called her.

Distracted as she was, Belle hadn't heard Gold coming out of the backroom. She jumped when she heard him, and if she heard well, he sounded surprised to see her here. She turned around to see him staring at her from head to toe and back up again. For her visit, she had chosen to wear something simple: her favorite long royal blue coat was hiding most of her light blue dress, but it still showed her legs that black woolen tights kept warm. Perhaps it was the electric blue high heels, a spur of the moment, that had gotten his attention. When his eyes returned to hers, he asked:

“Can I help you?”

“You already did and I didn't get to thank you properly, so I brought you a little something. And please call me Belle.”

Gold froze for a moment, then answered with a small smirk which made Belle blush.

“You really didn't have to. I said I enjoy threatening people.”

“And I enjoy making gifts,” Belle retorted.

She put her basket on the counter and pushed it toward him. He raised a questioning eyebrow, but Belle only smiled more brightly at him. She knew she had him when he pushed the dish towel aside to peek inside the basket.

“What is it?”

“I hope you haven't had lunch yet. I cooked you fried pickles.”

As soon as he heard her last word, he snapped his head up. His surprise got quickly hidden by a wide smirk. Belle hoped it was a good sign. He hadn't said yet if he accepted her gift or not.

“I see you got some help from miss Lucas.”

As soon as Belle heard the reproach in his voice, she understood what upset him.

“I didn't tell her much about… what happened. Just that you got me out of a horrible situation. And only because she immediately noticed my mind wasn't on our conversation yesterday.”

A strange silence settled in the pawnshop. Gold was staring at her, his lips slightly parted. He didn't give any indication that he forgave her for telling Ruby or that he gave a care about her gift.

“Anyway. I just wanted you to know that what you did really means a lot to me and…”

Belle paused briefly before going on. She had to do the brave thing and tell him how she felt, or else she would regret it later. He deserved to know.

“No matter what people say about you, you're a good man, Mr Gold.”

Now he was not only staring, but also gaping at her. Belle bit her lips. She had said too much and now both of them were too embarrassed to speak. To dispel the awkward atmosphere, she decided a hasty retreat was in order.

“Have a good lunch, then.”

Though Belle smiled when she looked at him, she cringed as soon as she turned her back on him. At least, he hadn't made any nasty comments. Of course, he barely talked, but since he hadn't been mean like people said he was, she still considered her visit went off well. She was close to the door when he called her:

“Miss French, your basket.”

At first, she thought he was returning her gift. Then she saw her Tupperware boxes on the counter. She sighed and smiled again in relief.

“You can bring it back to the library along with the boxes when you have some time.”

“I will,” he said with a nod.

“And I hope you will remember to call me Belle.”

The boyish grin on his face was so cute that Belle felt herself blush again.

“Thank you, Belle.”

“You're welcome, Mr Gold.”

Before she would giggle like a little girl, Belle left the shop. Whether it was his velvet voice or his slight Scottish accent, the way he said her name made her wonderfully happy. As far as she knew, she was the only one in town he called by her first name. She couldn't possibly tell everything to Ruby. She would tell her it went well, but the details would be hers alone, no matter how much her friend would insist she spills the beans. Her only regret was that he didn't offer his first name. Mr Gold was truly a man of secrets, and it itched Belle to uncover them.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey, papa!” Bae called from the door of the pawnshop.

“Bae? What are you doing here?”

The teenager had a really good pretext to come, but his ulterior and secret motive came first. There was only a handful of hours before registration for the secret Valentines closes, and he wanted to try to convince his dad one last time to give it a try. Henry had told him Belle hadn't signed up (yet), which was why he was currently at the library talking about his fresh couple life. They still had a chance to make operation Gecko a success.

“Henry invited me and Emma at Granny's tonight to celebrate his successful grand demand.”

“Shouldn't he have done that yesterday?”

“He was too busy celebrating with Grace.”

His father tusked and smirked, then went back to his account ledger.

“I'm sure his mother was delighted about that.”

Bae shook his head. Of course, his father would never miss an opportunity to make fun of Regina, even when there was only the two of them. While he rolled his eyes, Bae noticed a nice little basket on the counter. He visited the shop often enough to know this was new and not the kind of item his father bought to sell.

“Where did you get it?”

As soon as his father looked up and followed his eyes to the basket, a flicker of panic crossed his face. Before he could take it away from his son, the youngster's hands were on it.

“It looks very cute,” Bae said innocently, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

It ought to be a woman's basket. The blue dish towel covering its content was embroidered with red roses and far too pretty to be used in a kitchen. Under it, there was an empty plastic box that had contained something greasy. There weren’t many women who would give a lunch to his father. Bae looked at him expectantly and saw in his shifty eyes he knew his son guessed everything.

“Belle wanted to thank me again and brought me lunch.”

If someone walked in and saw the town monster looking like a guilty schoolboy caught cheating at a math test, that person would get worst that an excessive rent rise. Since he was so obviously tensed, Bae decided to give him a rest. Still, he couldn't believe he called her Belle.

“How was the food?”

“Great,” he simply said. He hesitated, then added with a chuckle: “She cooked me fried pickles. Can you believe it?”

The moment he raked a hand through his hair, Bae was sure there was something about Belle that got his father's undivided attention. Even if operation Gecko failed with none of them signing up for the secret Valentines, there was still a chance for them to get together. But before that, he still had one card to play.

“Actually, yes. Henry speaks very highly of her. By the way, I'm about to meet him at the library. Do you want me to bring the basket back to Belle?”

His father paused for a moment, no doubt debating with himself whether he was too stressed out to see her again so soon or not.

“Yes, take it. And be careful.”

“I will.”

Bae got out of his father's shop with the perfect plan in mind and a smirk anyone would recognize on his father. People thought having the fearsome Mr Gold as a father was a burden for a child. When he was younger, he sure thought the same. Since then, he realized how useful it was to learn from the best. If his plan worked, his dad wouldn't be so mean to other people all the time. Belle would know how to tame the beast inside him.

* * *

When Henry came to the library this evening, he had been almost shy about his relationship with Grace. Belle hadn't pressured him for answers and suggested they started with his homework. Now that work was done, there was no stopping him. It was Grace this, Grace that, holding hands, laughing for no reason, and blushing. He even told her about their first kiss. It was sweet and Belle was really happy for him. His vision of couple relationships was so idyllic she couldn't help but remember she used to be just the same when she got with Gaston. The thought made her cringe. The last thing he needed was some pitiful story about how much more complicated relationships are. He was young, he had his whole life to discover the hardships of being in a couple.

“I'd better be going home. Mom wasn't pleased when I told her at the last moment that I'll go with Bae and Emma at Granny's tonight. I think she'd like to see me before I go.”

“If you show her the grade you got this morning, I'm sure she'll be okay with you having some fun.”

“I'll do that, thanks.”

Henry was packing his things when the door of the library opened. Belle immediately turned her head toward it. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't eager for Mr Gold to walk in. Since he hadn't been quite talkative this afternoon, she wasn't sure they were friends. Belle hoped they were. She had always been attracted to the aura of mystery that surrounded him, but now she also knew he was a true gentleman — at least with her. Unfortunately, it wasn't the Mr Gold the thought about who came in.

“Hey Henry. Hi Belle,” Bae greeted them.

“So, is your dad okay about tonight?” Henry asked.

“Yes. Knowing it's pissing off your mom put him in a good mood.”

They shared a short laugh. It was nice to know that their parent's rivalry had no effect on their friendship. Yet all Belle could see was her basket in Bae's hand. His father wouldn't come.

“Here, Belle,” he said, giving her the basket. “My dad asked me to bring it back to you. He also told me to tell you that your fried pickles were the best thing he’s ever eaten. He really wanted to come himself, but he had to go the town hall.”

“What for?” Henry asked with a strange smile.

“He finally decided to sign up for the secret Valentines.”

“Really? That's awesome!”

“Is your father…” Belle began before she was aware she spoke up. She bit her lip and continued. “Is he looking for someone?”

Bae looked a bit embarrassed by her question. His smile turned sheepish and his eyes didn't meet hers. It strangely made her feel less flustered.

“Not exactly. I think he does this more for me than for himself. He won't admit it, but he feels lonely and it makes me sad to see him like this. I believed this secret Valentines would be a good way for him to find a friend, so I asked him to give it some thought. And he did. It took him a while, but he finally decided to take the plunge, right before registrations close.”

Belle had a hard time believing what she heard. A sweet child like Bae wouldn't lie to her — not that there was a point for him to lie about that — yet she couldn't picture Mr Gold agreeing to date anyone. On the other hand, if he did it for his son, it wasn't that unlikely.

“That's very courageous of him. I hope he'll find the right person.”

“I'm sure he will.”

The smile on Bae's face was so sweet that Belle couldn't help but answer with one of her own. Now both of them were blushing stupidly.

“You'd better run along. It's getting late and Regina doesn't like to be kept waiting,” she advised Henry.

The boys agreed and left the library right then. Now that Belle was alone, she let out a deep sigh and stared at her basket. She didn't find any note inside, but the very empty plastic box hinted that Bae hadn't been just polite when he said his father had enjoyed the meal she cooked for him.

Her mind inevitably wandered back to Bae's big news. Belle couldn't name one person in Storybrooke who wouldn't be afraid of spending a day with Gold. He never showed the boyish side of him she got to see this morning. Of course, if he did, it would make his reputation crumble, and getting his rent on time might be more difficult. But then he wouldn't be so lonely. Belle knew it wasn't so simple to open up and let anyone in. Especially after someone ripped your heart out and danced on it.

She could do it. If Gold was brave enough to sign up and agree to spend a day with a stranger who would either shake in fear the whole time or reject him at first sigh, she could do it too. If Ruby and her father were as concerned about her as Bae was for his father, she could at least give it a shot. In the worst case, she could always ask Henry to deactivate her bracelet in exchange for a book report.

Before she could change her mind, Belle packed her things in her purse, switched off the lights and closed the library. Tonight, she would do the brave thing and fight her demons. The picture of Gaston hidden in her desk would have to wait until tomorrow morning to get burned.

* * *

Gold was quietly working in the back room of his shop on the same piece of furniture he had intended to varnish the night he went to the library. He tried not to think about this moment, but with nothing more important to keep his mind busy, it was a lost cause. Defending this helpless woman had felt so strange. Beside Bae, he had never stood up for anyone. He could clearly remember the desperation and terror in her deep blue eyes. Maybe it had been nothing more than jealousy to see someone frightened by a man other than him. He sighed and shook his head. He was a master at manipulating people, but he could do nothing to convince himself. What a waste of skill.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear the bell ring above the door of his shop. Since he had turned the sign to closed, whoever it was would dearly regret getting in. He grabbed his cane and went to verbally execute the intruder. When he saw who the trespasser was, however, he was more confused than angry.

“Bae? Weren't you supposed to go to the diner with your friends?”

“Yes, but Henry had to make a quick stop at his home before joining me and Emma. So I came to tell you how it went with Belle.”

As soon as Bae pronounced the beauty's name, Gold's mind stopped working properly. It was like a magic work that made his thoughts slow down and confused. There was nothing he hated more than losing control. He did his best to keep a straight face and not hide behind his ledger as he began scribbling inside it.

“What about it?” he asked, trying to sound casual. “Did she kiss you to thank you and now you're considering breaking up with Emma?”

“Papa…” the annoyed teenager groaned.

For a moment, Gold feared his son would tell him that his suggestion only reflected his own desire to get kissed by Belle — of course he wouldn't mind it, he wasn't a fool. Perhaps Bae felt his apprehension, since he simply went on with his report.

“She was really glad you liked what she cooked you and she said you can feel free to be chivalrous again if you want more.”

Gold's first reaction was to grin and chuckle, but he also rolled his eyes for good measure. He couldn't have Bae thinking food was working on him, the kid already had too much power over him just because he was his beloved son.

“Other than that, she didn't say much since she was in a hurry.”

This was a trap. Gold felt a strange mix of pride and disappointment to know his son was learning his tricks. Yet if he wanted to master them, he still had a long way to go.

“I'm sure a smart and pretty woman like her has more interesting things to do than babysitting you and Henry.”

“She has,” Bae answered with a smile too bright for someone who had just received one of his sassy remarks in the teeth. “She was going to register for the secret Valentines before the town hall closes.”

Now that was another kind of trap. One that made his head snap up to meet his son's eyes. Damn him for inheriting his poker face and insufferable smile. It was too late to deny everything, but that didn't mean he lost the war to a beginner.

“I'm just surprised by her decision after what happened with Keith. Since she's not stupid, she must be quite courageous to agree to date any man like that.”

He gave his son the warning smile he usually kept for his tenants and the rare times Bae neglected his homework. The teenager got the message and took a few steps backward. It broke his heart to see his expression turn from victorious to sheepish.

“I'll leave you to your work, then.”

“I'm…” Gold started but finished with only a sigh. “Be careful. And send me a message when you want me to pick you up.”

“Okay,” he answered with a small smile. “See you, papa.”

“Have fun, son.”

Bae waved goodbye through the storefront, then disappeared in the night. How could his boy think a woman would like him? He couldn't even control his anger to spare his son from his surges of anxiety. If he was lucky, Bae's obsession of getting him a girlfriend would end tonight with the end of registrations for the secret Valentines.

Belle signed up, and so what? She had the courage to believe in destiny. He did not. The pathetic coward locked up deep inside him stirred. How he hated this part of him. This event was not as important as everyone made it appear. It was nothing more than a pretext to help poor bastards like him find someone to share their loneliness with. Then why couldn't he do it to please his son? He owed him that much and more.

He has always thought he owed her a mother. Milah left them because of him, because he wasn't a good husband. After more than ten years, the ghost of his former wife still haunted him. Sure, Milah hadn't been the ideal member for their happy family, and they were better off without her. Yet he still wondered if Bae had been better off without a mother.

Gold returned to the back of the shop. Maybe some work would help him think and clear his mind. As soon as he walked in, he noticed the napkin Belle had put in the basket for him. Damn, he forgot to put it back. It was so beautiful, with the same pattern of embroidered red rose as the dish towel, that he hadn't dared using it. Gold smiled. No one in Storybrooke intimidated him, but a fine napkin did. He would have to give it back. Yet, somehow, he was tempted to keep it. If he didn't have a proof that a nice woman once brought him a home-cooked lunch, he might think he dreamt it. No, Bae would remind him, and Belle too. He wouldn't be alone in this.

Before he changed his mind, Gold put on his coat, left his shop and locked the door. His left hand clutched the napkin in his pocket as he walked to the town hall.

He was trying so hard not to think about what he was about to do, that he didn't notice right way the clicking of heels behind him. Now that he heard it, it sounded like a woman was following him. Belle French's name immediately came to his mind. Was he going mad? It was probably just someone taking the same path as him, or at best one of his tenants meaning to ask him for an extension. After another couple of steps, though, Gold still had this nagging feeling that the woman behind him had no intention of walking past him or talking to him. Just to prove to himself that he was being foolish, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

Startled blue eyes stared back at him. Gold had trouble hiding his surprise. It seemed his delusion hadn't been one after all. Hopefully, Belle was too embarrassed to notice his puzzled expression. Her long blue coat and thick scarf dwarfed her, concealing her whole body except for her legs and the top of her face. Even in the dim light and with her face half buried in wool, Gold noticed a pink shade to her cheeks. While it could be because of the cold, her downcast gaze betrayed her shame. Following older men in the night was indeed shameful, but he couldn't believe Belle French was after him. Bae's words suddenly came back to him.

“I believe we are headed the same way… Belle.”

His usual endearment had been on the tip of his tongue, but since she brought him lunch, she deserved at least a name. And since she asked him to use her first name, he didn't have much choice. He was rewarded with a wide grin emerging from her scarf.

“I believe we are, Mr Gold,” she said with a guilty yet pleased voice.

Her eyes barely met his as she walked to his side. For that, he was glad. She didn't need to see his face having a serious case of lost puppy expression. What was there for her to blush about so much? If anyone, it should be him hoping a hole in the ground would swallow him and let him out only after the 14th of February, if ever. Maybe that was it: she was embarrassed about him, the mean old man who couldn't get someone to spend Valentine's day with him if a stupid game didn't force them. What else could it be?

They walked side by side in an awkward silence. Both of them knew what the other was about to do, but neither dared to talk in fear of having to give explanations. Every couple of steps, her long coat brushed against his good leg. The first time, he pretended he didn't notice it, just in case she did and looked at him. The second time, he took a deep breath and wondered why she was walking so close to him. The third time, he glanced her way, just when she did. They immediately averted their gazes, only to look at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Belle's chuckle made Gold wince. Now she was making fun of him, just what he needed. He might as well go home. Except she wasn't, since she entwined her arm in his free one. He gaped at her. Once again, she didn't look at him. Instead, she leaned toward him, offering him a whiff of her flowery perfume.

“Come on, there's no need to look so grim. We're not going to kill anyone.”

“Speak for yourself, dearie.”

His mind had been too dumbstruck to keep his tongue in check. It just couldn't resist an opportunity for dark humor, no matter who he was with. Belle turned her face to him. The two seconds it took her to say something were more stressful that he'd ever admit.

“More bad guys to threaten, Mr Gold?”

“If it can get me more of your delicious pickles, I would let you kick them where it hurts.”

The small librarian genuinely laughed at his poor joke. She even bumped in his shoulder. He couldn't believe that he was the one to make such a beautiful woman laugh so melodiously. Just to make sure no one was staring at them, he looked around. What little he could see of the dimly lit streets were empty. Good. He didn't want to tarnish Belle's reputation with his own. If anyone saw her walking with her arm linked with his, they'd probably throw stones at her or spit in her books.

When they reached the town hall, Gold experienced a strange mix of feelings. First, he lost Belle's arm, a pity, even though he was relieved they didn't get caught. Then there was the apprehension of what was waiting for him inside the municipal building. His joke about killing people held more truth than what he told Belle. If one person smiled or looked at him the wrong way, he'd hit them with his cane until they beg for mercy. Gold hadn't realized they stopped before the doors, but when he glanced at Belle and she glanced back at him at the same moment, he thought he saw some panic in her deep blue eyes. If she was half as scared as he was, she was better than he thought at hiding her emotions.

“There we are,” Belle announced with an enthusiasm that sounded very fake. “We'd better get in before it closes.”

“That's the plan, yes.”

Gold bit his sharp untamed tongue. He was glad Belle didn't take offense. Instead of making a snarky comment, he should have thanked her for opening the door for him. Had he been alone, he probably would have given up by then and walked home him with his tail between his legs.

As soon as Belle pushed the doors open, he noticed the booth placed in a corner of the room. A startled Archibald Hopper was staring at them. Either he dozed off, or he didn't like what he saw. Gold hoped for him it was the former or there would be two widows Lucas in town. True to his mild character, Archie smiled sincerely once he was over the shock.

“I was just wondering if I should close the inscriptions. You're going to be the last ones on the list.”

“I hope you didn't listen to Ruby and already wrote my name,” Belle joked.

“You know I would never do that, Belle, even for Ruby's pretty eyes.”

Gold rolled his eyes as the shrink's cheeks blushed. A little voice at the back of his head whispered that Belle had more beautiful eyes anyway, but he quickly shushed it.

“What are you doing here? Don't you have an office to run?” Gold asked.

Not that he complained about his presence. At least with him, his secret was well kept.

“I do, but young Henry said people who registered the last would be hesitant and stressed, so he asked me to take care of the booth.”

“And since I am both hesitant and stressed, I'm really glad to see you here,” Belle answered with a grin.

Gold felt a bit betrayed by her confession. Of course, he hadn't been a good moral support, being deadly anxious himself, but saying she was hesitant… He couldn't but think he had something to do with it.

“So, where do I sign?”

“Oh, you just have to fill this form with your name and address. Here,” Archie said as he gave one to Belle.

Gold watched intently as the brunette took the paper, a pen and a writing support from the shrink. He would never work up to ask for the same. If Archie didn't give him one, he would just wait until he does rather than embarrass himself with asking.

“Mr Gold,” Archie almost whispered.

The poor man didn't quite dare to meet his eyes, and his grip on the writing support he held out to him slightly shook. Gold smirked in relief. When he glanced at Belle, though, his smirk vanished. She was eying him curiously, not quite squirting or glaring, but observing him with interest above her form. For once, he felt the need to behave in front of someone other than his son. He appreciated Belle and wanted her to believe he was a hero for as long as possible before she realized he was the worst.

“Thank you,” he replied courtly to Archibald as he took the form from him.

As Archie said, the form asked for nothing more than a name and an address. Gold started filling it in when he noticed Belle trying to take a discreet peek at his paper. He quickly raised his eyes to catch her red-handed. She wasn't startled, but a small smile appeared on her lips. As she glanced back to her own form, he felt as if he had been the one to get caught doing something he shouldn't have. It made him forget to ask her what she was looking at.

“Done,” Belle chirped.

Through her tone was cheerful, she stared at her piece of paper for a while longer than necessary before handing it to Archie. Gold did worst. He sighed before he gave his paper back. For the second time, he was glad Archie was the last person on Earth who'd make fun of another human being, or anything else for that mattered. Gold made a mental note to lower his rent this month.

“Have a good night,” Archibald bid them.

Belle returned his goodbye, while Gold nodded respectfully. The two of them were back on the empty street, side by side, as close to each other as when they came. Should he ask her where she was going? Joke about escorting her home to disguise the fact that he really was worried about her? Or just say bye and leave? Belle didn't seem to ask herself any of these questions. She was staring at the moon, its sparkle reflected in her eyes. Her distant gaze made him wonder what was going through her mind. Could she already regret signing up?

“Did you know that the moon is drifting away from the Earth?” she suddenly asked him without looking at him. “Not by much, mind you: only 3,8 centimeters every year. But one day all these small distances will make a great one.”

Gold had an inkling she wasn't just talking about the moon. A small step which felt like a huge one sounded familiar.

“Can't say I knew that.”

His gravelly voice seemed to pull her out of her daydream: her head quickly turned toward him, and there was no missing her thin smile. Hadn't she been talking to him?

“Everyone say I read too much, and it's probably true.”

“You won't hear that from me, dearie.”

Gold gave her a pointed look and one of his famous smirks. Instead of being offended by his aggressive tone, Belle send him a smile brighter that the stars. She was too much for him. It had been a very long time since anyone but Bae looked past his fangs and claws. He turned away from her and started to walk back to his car, which he left beside his shop. He walked slowly, silently inviting Belle to follow him. He didn't have to wait for long to have her back on his arm.

* * *

“Yes!” Bae shouted as he lifted his binoculars in the air in triumph.

It had been worth dragging Emma in that bush before the town hall. With Henry inside to make sure Archie played his part well. The final part of operation Gecko was a success.

“Did you even doubt it would work?”

Emma was a bit less enthusiastic than the boys, but that was only because of her absolute certainty that Belle and his father were meant to be together.

“I mean: she's bursting with compassion, your dad's awful with everyone. She's the cutest woman in town, your dad's a freaking dandy. She loves boring books, your dad loves boring trinkets. I really could go on all night. Now can we go to Granny's? I'm starving.”

Bae was tempted to hear the rest of the list, even if he could write it himself. Maybe they could turn it into a game at the diner. It ought to be fun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News about Keith, a worried doting father Gold, Gold Jr. plotting, and more. (because now I write chapter summaries)

## D -9

Gold woke up to the shrill sound of his alarm clock. Hungover as he was, the insufferable noise was splitting his head in two. He grunted like an old bear and blindly reached out to smash the wretched device. It took him some time, but he finally managed to make it stop. He hadn't planned on making it fall from the night table and breaking it, but the sound of the shattering glass followed by silence was a relief.

It had been a while since he drank so much whiskey. Now that Bae was more of a man than a child, Gold felt less guilty about getting hammered. And the fact that he hadn't been there last night helped the bottle too. His memory started to come back to him. The first glass had been an attempt at helping him to take a decision about whether to tell Bae that he registered. The second had been about what happened with Belle. The third had been about… what had it been about? He was so sluggish this morning, he couldn't think properly. Although it could be argued that drinking alcohol to get a clear mind wasn't thinking properly either. Why had it sounded like such a good idea last night?

With a loud sigh, Gold gave up thinking and went back to wincing at his massive headache as he tried to open his eyes. They stung so hard he wondered if he hadn't poured whiskey on them. Once he found the strength to keep his eyes open and sit up, he turned to his night table to know what time it was. Oh yes, he just killed his antique clock which was — or more likely, used to be — worth a pretty penny. And he had no idea where his phone was. Brilliant. Gold fell back on his bed. At least he remembered it was Saturday. No school. No shop. He could lie in until Bae came to check if he still breathed. He's had worse days.

* * *

Saturday morning had always been slow at the library, but now it was completely deserted. Since the streets were empty too, Belle didn't take offense that her regulars didn't show up. Maybe they had been celebrating the end of registrations for the secret Valentine. After all, Belle did open a good bottle of wine. With her small income, she preferred to drink only one glass and save the rest for the day she'll receive the bracelet and she'll feel the consequences of what she did. She tried not to think about whether she would need another bottle for when she discovers her mysterious Valentine. One step at a time, she kept reminding herself.

Speaking of taking steps, Belle went to her desk to take the picture of Gaston out of her dusty drawer. She had stopped at the Dark Star Pharmacy to buy a lighter just to burn this asshole. She took the picture, the lighter, and her desk's garbage can, then settled on a chair at the furthest place from the smoke detector. The old paper took fire very quickly, far too much so to Belle's taste. As she watched the picture burn, she realized that Gaston might have taken her youth and trust, she still had her spirit.

“You totally registered, didn't you?”

Ruby's overexcited voice startled Belle so much she dropped Gaston’s picture. Hopefully, it fell in the garbage can right bellow. She would have had one more reason to hate Gaston if his stupid picture had burnt anything in her library. The librarian let out a relieved sigh before realizing her troubles had just started. She slowly turned her face to her friend and was glad she didn't look as hysteric as her voice suggested. Ruby had a wide fond smile and soft eyes which seemed teary. The red haired woman went to kneel on the ground beside her chair and put a hand on hers on her knee.

“I'm so happy you turned the page. I've been waiting for this day for a very long time. Did you notice I regularly checked that drawer?”

“Does that mean I get a free hamburger and ice tea?”

Belle's diversion worked even better than she expected. Instead of quickly agreeing and asking for details, Ruby laughed loudly and shook her head.

“Anything you want, Belle.”

The pleased grin and the comforting silence of approval of her friend made Belle wonder why she even assumed she would be nosy when she showed nothing but respect for her feelings. Maybe it was because she still felt so ill-at-ease talking about her relationship with Gaston. Just thinking about it made her mouth taste like ash and her eyes prickle with tears.

“Actually, I came to ask you a favor,” Ruby confessed with a malicious smile.

“Of course, what is it?”

“I still don't know what to give to Archie for V-day, and I wondered if you could help me.”

“I don't think I know Archie enough to be really helpful, but I'll give you Henry's phone number, if you want.”

“Yes, thank you. You're the best.”

Ruby got up and hugged her friend far too tight for such a small gesture. Belle pretended she didn't notice it. She was glad she had a friend she could count on. Maybe she would even tell her about last night. Or maybe not since she would have to sew her mouth afterward so Gold wouldn't kill her. Ruby released her and held her at arm's length.

“Just to be sure, you didn't tell your dad, right?”

“About what?”

“The secret V, what else?”

“Oh, hum,” Belle stuttered then cringed, “No. And I don't think I will. He'd start warning every man who comes buying flowers and he can't afford to lose clients, especially right now.”

“Okay, good decision. I won't tell a word to anyone, I swear.”

“Thanks. I… I hope I'll be ready.”

“You will. You already did the hardest part. And if you want to talk about it, I'm right here, just a phone call away. Besides, it's not because I'm with Archie now that we won't have girls' nights anymore.”

“Thank you Ruby. I'll think about it.”

“Anytime, Belle.”

The two women hugged one last time, then Ruby went to work at the diner. Actually, a girls' night in her apartment sounded like a good opportunity to talk about Gold. No prying ears and plenty of alcohol to help Ruby forget everything she heard just after she gave her advices. Belle grabbed her agenda and looked for the perfect date. The old burnt picture was completely forgotten at the bottom of the trash can.

* * *

When Gold finally found the strength to get downstairs, it was almost noon. Yet Bae's breakfast bowl wasn't in the sink, but still in the cupboard. He couldn't have gotten drunk too, could he? His son knew better than that, but maybe something else happened last night. And he hadn't been here to help him. Gold rushed back upstairs, to Bae's room, cursing his ankle and hurting it in his haste. He barged in the bedroom, and found his son lying on his bed, still wearing last day's clothes. At the banging sound of the slammed the door, Bae grunted as loudly as his father did that morning and hid his head under his pillow.

“Ow, papa, please. Not that loud.”

“What not that loud? Where were you last night? What did you do?”

“Can't it wait? I was just starting to get some sleep.”

“What?” Gold asked with his scandalized father's voice. “You're going to sit and tell me everything right now, young man.”

Bae sighed, but obeyed his dad. His eyes were bloodshot and he staggered a bit when he sat up on his bed. Gold didn't smell smoke or alcohol on him, so he wasn't that terrified of his son's confession.

“I don't understand, I left you a message last night. Didn't you get it?”

Now Gold was glad his son was too much tired to keep his eyes open. When he was with him, he forgot how to use his masks. If Bae could see his stupid guilty expression, he would be gloating like him after striking a good deal. To make up for his mistake, he bluffed and kept his angry tone.

“No, I didn't get it. What did you do?”

“Shh, papa. Can you stop shouting? It hurts.”

Gold rolled his eyes and sighed. Since Bae had always been a good boy, he never really had the chance to try his frightening act on him. Of course, he was glad he didn't have to, but sometimes the lack of arguments made him feel like he was a much too lenient father.

“I'm waiting.”

“Fine. We stayed at Granny's until it closed, then we went to Henry's and played video games all night. I came home at eight. There. Satisfied?”

“Yes, very much so.”

So nothing happened. Gold was relieved to hear that, but he wouldn't want Bae to get away so easily.

“Next time you plan on spending the night away from home, at least warn me before you leave. Okay?”

“Yes, papa. I'm sorry I got you worried.”

He had never been one to stay mad at his son for long. The whole thing was already forgotten. Really, if he hadn’t shouted at him when he painted his favorite tie with gouache when he was a kid, Bae could get away with anything.

“It's alright, son. Go back to sleep.”

Gold was about to leave and close the door behind him, when Bae called him:

“Papa, I didn't warn you this evening because I didn't know I would have something to celebrate with my friends.”

“What? Of course you did. You told me Henry wanted to…”

“I was talking about your registration.”

That got Gold speechless. He had no idea whether it was the remains of alcohol clouding his head or the sole shock that made his mind go blank. His mouth moved, but made no sound. Bae, on the other hand, was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“Don't worry, Henry got the list of participants safely locked away. Even Regina won't see it.”

That alleviated some of his worries, but not all of them.

“And I won't pester you.”

Now he could breathe again.

“I'm proud of you, papa.”

Those simple words went straight to his heart, making it burst with love and pride. Nothing could have pleased him more than to hear that from his son. Everyone was always so disappointed in him, it was wonderful to know the only person who mattered to him felt the other way.

“Thank you, Bae. Sleep tight.”

Gold closed the door of his son's bedroom and sighed with happiness. The image of his son smiling fondly at him was one he would not forget.

* * *

“Three hundred and sixty-two people signed up for the secret V? Wow! I didn't know we were that many in Storybrooke.”

“Yes, we were actually close to five thousands citizens last time I checked the archives.”

After eating her delicious free meal, Belle decided to stay a bit in the diner with Ruby for her break. The library had been desert for most of the morning anyway, so no one was going to complain if she opened a bit late this afternoon. Dissecting the newspaper and its shitty articles was more fun than talking to the walls. Besides, Belle could help having some company right now.

“Really? Then the number of participants isn't that impressive.”

“Well, it represents something like… seven percent of the population. And if you don't count the children and people who already are in a relationship, I'd say it's not that bad.”

Belle had done the math that morning: 7,24 percent of Storybrooke was desperate enough to take part in this folly. And she was one of them. She had no way of knowing the odds of her meeting someone nice thanks to this event, but even if she had one, she wasn't sure she would like to know. No matter how positive she wanted to be, she couldn't seem to convince herself that the odd were in her favor. If the library was that empty, it meant not a lot of people here liked books, and Belle would never be able to have another relationship with someone who didn't share her passion for reading.

“Hey, didn't you say the name of the man who almost raped you was Keith?”

“Yes,” Belle answered, puzzled as to why Ruby was bringing up that jerk.

“Well, you'll be pleased to know he's been arrested for dealing drugs.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And apparently, he's been turned in by an anonymous person who could very well belong to a local gang. The news today aren't all sunshine and rainbows, after all.”

Ruby was about to turn the page, so Belle grabbed it as the same time she asked if she could see it. Her friend didn't seem to mind and went back to her strawberry sundae.

'Keith Nottingham had already been arrested several times for petty theft and was suspected of dealing drugs. However, it wasn't until last night that the authorities got any proof. The proof in question was given by an anonymous caller who revealed the content of a storage locker Mr Nottingham rented on the docks. Five kilos of heroin were found in the said locker. Sheriff David Swan immediately went to the dealer's domicile to arrest the man. He was shocked to find him bathing in a pool of blood in the middle of a ransacked apartment were more drug was found. Mr Nottingham's days are not in danger, although he came close to death. His stay at the hospital has been confirmed and will last for at least a couple of months. For now, the authorities are considering a gang vendetta as the most likely hypothesis, even if the identity of the mysterious caller is still unknown and will probably remain so. More will be revealed once the culprit turned victim wakes up and is strong enough to withstand questioning.'

Belle couldn't believe what she read. Keith has been beaten up quite badly and betrayed by his associates. It's been three days since their encounter, but she could not shake off the feeling that these two events were linked. If she was right, then Gold… Well, he was always impeccably dressed, but that didn't mean he belonged to the local mafia. Thinking there a mafia in Storybrooke even existed was laughable this morning. Now it seemed so close to her a shiver ran down her spine.

“You're not seriously thinking that Gold might…”

Not knowing what to accuse the man of, Ruby ended her sentence with meaningless gestures Belle interpreted as just what she suspected.

“I don't know. He's so nice, at least with me,” she added when Ruby raised her eyebrows, “that I can't picture him doing anything like that.”

“Well, I may have more imagination than you this time, because I can pretty well see him as a mafioso. He dresses like one, at least. Maybe if Keith hadn't left you alone that night, he would have taken a gun out of that long suspicious coat of his.”

“I may be reading too many books, but you sure are watching too many movies. Besides, since when is his long coat suspicious? I have a long coat too, does that make me suspicious?”

“No, you look far too nice and cute for that. Gold is shady.”

“You weren't saying that when you advised me to cook him pickles.”

“And you still haven't told me how that went.”

Out of argument and not liking the turn the conversation was taking, at least in a public place, Belle looked down and toyed with her empty ice tea glass. It didn't take her long to find a way out of her uncomfortable position. She stared at Ruby with an expression of challenge.

“I was thinking about it earlier. What if we organize a girls' night at my place? You bring the food and drink, and I bring the juicy gossip.”

“Juicy gossip, Belle? You’ll make me die of expectation. Tonight won't be soon enough.”

“Tonight? I won't have enough time to clean the —”

“Who cares about cleaning? Not me. That's settled. Okay for seven as usual?”

Belle sighed fondly at her friend. As long as Ruby was here, there was no way she would feel lonely and left out.

“Alright, alright. But you'd better not complain about the books laying everywhere around my apartment.”

“The only thing you'll hear from me will be my shocked reactions to your secret life with Gold.”

It was hard for Belle not to flatly deny Ruby's teasing. The one thing that helped her keep her mouth shut was the fact that she kind of liked this idea of living in mystery with the secretive Mr Gold who scared the whole town except her. In a way, it was true: there were things she just couldn't tell anyone without betraying Gold's private life. On the other hand, if she kept the whole thing to herself, she would crumble under the weight of so many secrets.

“Seriously, Ruby. I really need to tell all of that to someone, but you must promise me to never say a word to anyone, no matter what, no even by mistake.”

“Of course, Belle. You can trust me. I'm your friend. And that's what friends are for, right?”

Belle only nodded, but her affectionate grin said everything for her. She had made her choice. That night, she would tell Ruby everything and ask for her advice. The red-head wouldn't be much enthusiastic about Gold, especially because of that article and her suspicions, but Belle wanted to spend some more time with him and had to find a way to make that happen.

Before leaving, she glanced one last time at the newspaper. The Storybrooke Daily Mirror was full of gossip, but also often reliable. It itched Belle to know more about that story. That was another chapter to her book of adventures with Gold, one she couldn't wait to live.

* * *

“Sorry I'm late,” Emma said with more anger than annoyance as she came in the diner. “My parents were freaked out that I didn't come home last night so they grounded me.”

Bae didn’t ask her how she did to escape from her parents. Emma would never let anyone tell her what to do, and her mom and dad were on top of the list of people she didn't want to listen to. According to her, they were the most boring and sickening cute couple that ever walked the earth. For someone who wanted to look tough and be independent like Emma, that situation wasn't the best one, even though Henry and Bae kept telling her she was lucky to have both her parents.

“It's okay, I was just thinking about what we'd do tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? With my luck, my parents will force me to go on a stupid family outing. I'm sure they still think I'm ten.”

Bae send her a crooked smile. He and Emma had tried many strategies to show her mom and dad that she wasn't a kid anymore, but aside from having a kid of their own, they had exhausted every solution they could think of.

“Don't be so harsh with them. They care about you. They just don't know how to show it anymore.”

“I figured. Dad still calls me his little princess,” she complained with an expression of disgust. “Every time he says that, I'm scared he might give me a pink puffy dress and a plastic tiara.”

“I'm sure you'd look fabulous as a Toys “R” Us princess and I'd still love you.”

Emma chuckled and shook her head. She even blushed a bit, which was a rare sight. Confessions of love usually made her cringe with unease. Maybe there was still hope for them to get the perfect couple life her parents had. Minus the embarrassing their teenager so much they'd deny their family. If they had children. And if they ever got married. Bae didn't worry much about that.

“Anyway. What did you think about for tomorrow?”

“I don't know,” Bae said as he shrugged and started to play with a spoon. “I wanted to get out of my father's way to let him stew in his thoughts about the random Valentines, but other than that…”

“It's not like we have lots of choice. It's so boring in this town. Why did you never ask your dad to build an arcade, or a bowling, or… something! With you and Henry, we could have an amusement park by now.”

“I never asked precisely because I know he's capable of doing it.”

Bae often wondered what would have happened if he had been greedy as a boy. Would his dad have granted his every wish or scolded him until he'd become reasonable? On the one hand, he'd do anything to please his son, but on the other, he was really good with children.

“What about Henry? Is he coming tomorrow, or will he be busy with Grace again?”

“Actually, he'll be busy with his mom. Or more exactly, finding her the perfect match for the secret Valentine.”

His answer was met with a heavy annoyed sigh. Emma was really good at this.

“Really? Another operation? And what's this called? Operation dictator?”

That was a really good name, but since Emma wasn't laughing or even smiling, Bae didn't dare to show his appreciation.

“Can't you leave them alone?” she added.

“It's not that simple. If something goes wrong, there won't be another chance for them finding happiness in a long while.”

“How do you know? People find each other all the time.”

“Maybe, but people stab each other in the back all the time too.”

His gaze became distant and clouded with pain. It took her a moment, but Emma was smart enough to decipher his words and not take it personally, even though his accusation could never have applied to her. She put her hands on his and stopped his nails from digging into his palms.

“I'm sorry, Bae.”

“It's okay,” he reassured her with a small smile. “I was too young to remember her. My dad wasn't so lucky.”

Bae had never really told Emma about his mother. Not because the subject hurt him, but because that woman didn't matter to him. She was nothing more than a stranger. He rarely thought about her, even on his birthday or at night when his papa kissed him goodnight and his mom never came. On the rare times he did think about her, it was always because of his father's loneliness and lack of trust in everyone but him.

“We don't miss her,” he explained. “She left no emptiness in our lives. Quite the contrary. Sometimes, I can see the emotional knife she stabbed him with, still in his back after all those years. That wound she left him won't heal without treatment. I have to help him. I want him to be happy again, if he ever truly was.”

Emma's grip on his hand didn't fade. Though she's never had a problem like this one, the concern in her emerald eyes and the compassion in her kind smile made Bae feel like she understood him better than he did himself. He would never stop loving her.

“Since we don't have anything planned tomorrow, how about we begin the second part of operation Gecko?”

That malicious smirk on her lips was one of the most irresistible thing he had seen Emma do. He could clearly picture her parents' face, distraught with worry, because of that same smile. No wonder they locked her up in her room.

“What do you have in mind?” he asked in a low tone which brought out his inner schemer.

“I can think of a few things.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle talking about her feelings and getting drunk, and an (expected) meeting

Belle had spent the afternoon cleaning her apartment. Keeping herself busy helped her to ignore her feelings and prevent herself from stressing out about what she'd tell Ruby. First, she still felt a bit guilty about deciding to tell her of Gold's secret personality. And second, she had no idea what her feelings actually were. She just knew she liked Gold, but she still was working on the extent of the word “like”. Inviting Ruby and telling her everything would at least help her to deal with that.

When the bell rang at six and a half, Belle rushed to open the door to escape her confusing emotions. She wasn't that surprised to find Ruby panting, no doubt from running, on her doorstep. She was dressed in a bit more casual way than usual, with a red sweater that still made her look very feminine, and the two bottles of wine she was holding in her arms were most welcome.

“Hey! Sorry, I couldn't wait,” she apologized although she looked far more eager than guilty.

“It's okay. I'm actually glad you're here now. I really need to talk.”

“Okay,” she answered with some worry in her hesitant voice. “Then I really need to listen.”

The women didn't waste any more time in idle chat and directly went to the living room where two empty glasses were already waiting on the coffee table. As soon as Ruby put the bottles on it, Belle opened one, filled her glass and emptied it.

“Is everything okay, Belle?”

Now Ruby really looked worried about her. Of course, the last time she saw her so eager for a drink had been the days following her break-up with Gaston. The problem at hand was quite different and yet related to it.

“I think I'm falling in love,” Belle blurted out.

Ruby's jaw was about to fall on the ground, and truth be told, Belle's own was suffering from the same affliction. There was a moment of silence when the two women stared at each other with eyes on the verge of rolling out of their sockets to join their jaws on the parquet. Then Ruby startled the neighborhood.

“What?!” she shouted. “Is this for real?!”

Belle felt Ruby's perfectly manicured nails dig up in her shoulders before she realized her friend was gripping her as if her life depended on it. And maybe it did. There was a wild panic in her eyes. Belle didn't quite know what answer she should give her to prevent her from dying of a heart attack.

Her own confusion didn't help her much. Why had she said that? She was barely aware of her feelings. It had more been a fleeting fear than a holy revelation. She didn't quite dare to tell that to Ruby. Her reluctance only worsened when the red-haired shook her.

“Tell me! Please! This is worse than the Sherlock hiatus!”

“I… I don't…”

Maybe it was the tension, or Ruby's cartoonish expression of despair. It could also be the thought that her life had somehow become more entertaining than that of Benedict Cumberbatch's alter ego. Belle started to chuckle. It soon turned into a loud giggle, until it became a thunderous laugh. Ruby's puzzled face was priceless and fueled her hysterical outburst. Belle was crying when Ruby released her to look at her like she was trying to remember the phone number of the closest asylum.

“So… You were joking?”

“I…”

She was still unable to answer that question, but the seriousness in Ruby's eyes brought her back to Earth. She dried her tears, and went with the truth.

“I'm as confused and shocked and whatever you looked like earlier as you are. I'm even as wary as you are right now. I'm sorry if I hurt you with—”

“Belle.”

Ruby's hand went directly to her friend's. It was her turn to look confused and desperate to know what she'd say next.

“You don't have to be sorry about anything. I know it's a big step for you. And even if it was a false alarm, I'm glad you told me.”

“It… might not be a false alarm,” Belle slowly announced.

She cringed a bit while Ruby took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm the poor nerves Belle was involuntarily playing with. Belle herself did the same before they'd get on with the difficult part.

“Alright. So. We'll take baby steps, okay?” She went on when Belle nodded eagerly. “This is about Gold, right?”

Belle blushed a bit, but nodded again. She didn't quite trust her voice after the horrible things it did to Ruby.

“Do you want to see him again?”

Another nod.

“Because seeing him makes you happy?”

A nod again. At least, she wasn't hesitating in her answers. It ought to count for something.

“And you like his looks at well as talking with him?”

“Yes, I quite like it.”

“What does it mean, you 'quite like it'? Is it a 'yeah, I don't mind' or a 'I love it more than reading while eating hamburgers but I don't want to make a big deal out of it'?”

Damn. She knew she should have kept going with the nods.

“I mean that I…”

Belle sighed in frustration. Years of being wary of love had made her mind rust in that field. For a long time, she couldn't even stand reading romance novels. Time helped her sore heart to heal, but it was a long process and there would always be a scar. Now that she opened up again, her feelings felt foreign, but not unpleasant. Far from it.

“He's nothing like Gaston.” she finally let out. “He's got wit, a refined charm, and an unexpected sense of humor,” she said as she recalled how he accused her with his dashing smirk of stealing Bae's scarf. “He's not what people say he is. Deep down, he's just an insecure and lonely man who needs love, a warm cup of tea and being wrapped in a warm blanket. I see it so well when it's just the two of us. He gets all shy and nervous, and he blushes. I'm quite sure he doesn't think I notice, because I look away to avoid embarrassing him. But I do. And he looks so cute, with his dark chocolate eyes and fluffy hair.”

A sigh of contentment escaped from Belle's mouth. She didn't even have to close her eyes to conjure a mental picture of him in her mind. A troubled heart attached to a bright mind, the whole dressed with elegance. When that dreamy image faded, Belle finally noticed Ruby's hanging jaw and wide eyes. Apparently, she was the only one who could have such mental images of Gold.

“And you say you're not sure if you're in love,” Ruby joked. “Gaston really messed you up.”

She didn't mean to hurt her, but the mention of Gaston breaking her heart shattered all the happiness talking about Gold had brought. Ruby immediately realized her mistake and took her friend's hands in her own to apologize.

“I'm sorry, Belle. I didn't mean to remind you of what that bastard did to you.”

“It's okay. I mean, it's not that…” She sighed and started again, “I spend so long either trying to avoid thinking about it or dwelling too much on it, that I never really accepted it. Now I'm ready to start a new story, I have to keep in mind what the moral of the previous one was if I want to avoid making the same mistakes. So it's alright. Gaston didn't love me. He wasn't even interested in me besides my appearance. It was only logical that when I stopped acting like his trophy, he cheated on me and got a new one. I won't mess again with stupid boys who treat me like an object. Lesson learned.”

Yes, she decided. She would be alright. Belle had buried the feelings she wasted for Gaston long ago. Only pain remained. Now even that was fading. She could deal with it until there was nothing but facts left. Besides, having someone new in her heart definitely changed how she thought about love.

Ruby was a bit more worried about her. Even though she was smiling a bit, Belle recognized the concern in her voice.

“And you're not afraid that, with Gold, it's just going to be another hard lesson to learn? I mean, I can understand that he hides a soft side and that he's showing it only to you. But it's his other side I'm afraid of. Aren't you?”

“Not really, no. I think he's just playing a character, to scare people off and get respected. I mean, his son Bae is one of the sweetest—”

“Wait, what?” Ruby interrupted her.

“I was a bit shocked too. Bae's a lamb, and to everyone in Storybrooke, Gold's the big bad wolf, but—”

“How do you know that?”

“I'll tell you everything if you stop interrupting me.”

“Alright,” she sheepishly replied. “Go on.”

“As I was saying, Bae is one of the sweetest boy in this town and his father brought him up alone. So it can only mean that Gold has a positive influence on him.”

“Do you imply that Regina is really nice too?”

“I don't know. Maybe. But Bae and his father look far closer than Henry and Regina. By the way, I didn't tell you everything about the night Gold saved me…”

Belle fixed this (intentional) oversight by starting again the whole story of her encounter with Keith, followed by the one with the basket of pickles and Bae's visit to the library. The registrations went last. It took Belle the whole night to tell Ruby all of this. As she spoke, she committed to memory all the tiny details of the various scenes. She especially wanted to remember how the shadows of the night suited Gold. The dim light of the street lamps and the moon sublimed his natural aura of mystery. It also made him look more dangerous, like a predator hidden in the dark, only given out by the cold watchful glint in his eyes. As much as Belle enjoyed his powerful side, she was more attracted by the shy little boy locked in the depths of his guarded heart. His shudders when she entwined her arm in his as they walked to the town hall made her want to break in and give the poor man a much deserved warm hug.

It was quite hard, Belle realized the more she talked, not to give in her own vision of the memories. She wanted Ruby to make her own mind about what happened between Gold and her. Telling her how cute he looked when he was confused would just persuade her she went crazy. Although, when she accidentally sidetracked, Ruby just grinned at her and send her a knowing look that said how stupid she thought her friend was for not realizing she was in love. She rarely interrupted her again, making Belle wonder if that was a good sign or not.

By the time Belle finished her stories, they had also finished three frozen pizzas and the same amount of bottles of wine. Ruby was sitting in a corner of the small sofa, while Belle, still unused to drinking so much alcohol, was laying with her head on her friend's thighs after falling from the shoulder she previously leaned on. There was a moment of silence then, while Belle was lost in recollection and Ruby looked for a delicate way to breach a sensible subject.

“So… What will you do about the secret V?”

Belle sat up abruptly. She had forgotten about that. What would she do if she gets paired with someone else? Or worse, if Gold gets someone else? She turned to Ruby with a frighteningly serious expression on her face.

“I would have to kill the bitch and steal her bracelet before he finds out.”

“Okay, Belle,” Ruby started with a maternal voice that commanded authority. “I think you've had enough to drink for tonight. We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

“No, but what if I'm linked to another man and Gold finds out and thinks I'm better off that way and gives up on me? He'll think I betrayed him and he'll be so sad and I'll be sad too…”

This was a problem she had to solve tonight. Her whole life depended on it.

“Maybe I should just go to his house and tell him. Ruby, get the car.”

Drunk as she was, Belle barely managed to get up for a second before falling back on the sofa. Ruby, feeling guilty about letting her drink so much, helped her friend to get up again by gripping her waist and catching one of Belle's arm above her shoulder. Then she laboriously transported her to her bedroom. There, she'd be able to watch over her all night long.

“Belle,” she said in a soothing tone, “I'm not sure Gold would like to get woken up in the middle of the night.”

She was careful not to mention they didn't even have a car, in fear of upsetting her and making her struggle against her already uncertain grip on her waist. As small as Belle was, she still weighed a bit more than Ruby could carry while she had a good dose of alcohol in her veins too.

“Yeah, you're right. That would give him a bad impression of me and I don't need that. He already looks kinda scared of me, I shouldn't give him proofs he’s right.”

“Gold is scared of you? Too bad you don't owe him rent, that could be useful.”

“Papa owes him shit tons of money, but I don't wanna get caught up in this. This is baaad. Bad papa.”

Ruby sighed and started to get Belle settled in her bed. This was an easier task than carrying her, since she was aware she needed to get to bed and she helped Ruby with her pajamas. Belle started to get too weak to talk properly and only mumbled nonsense while Ruby went to fetch her a glass of water. She drank it without protest and laid down under the covers. Ruby was about to switch off the light on her night table when Belle grabbed a handful of her skirt.

“Don't let bracelets and papa spoil it all.”

If having a child felt as close as taking care of a drunk friend, Ruby was ready to give Archie a whole dynasty. She crouched near Belle and stroked her hair to calm her down.

“We'll take care of that in the morning, okay? For now, just try to sleep. Everything will be alright, I'm sure of it.”

Belle smiled at this reassurance and closed her eyes. She was instantly asleep, dreaming the improbable scenario of her father's bracelet being linked to Gold's.

* * *

## D -8

Gold slept better that night. Instead of whiskey, he took Belle's pretty napkin as a sleeping companion. It hadn't been planned, though. With Bae around in the house, he hadn't wanted to get accidentally caught with it, so he let it in his coat pocket. When his son left for the diner, he retrieved it and hid it in his bedroom. Since Bae was less likely to rummage in his bed, Gold put the napkin under his pillow. He actually forgot about it until he slid a hand under the cushion. His discovery woke him up a bit, but quickly lulled him back to sleep in a pleasant dream of the pretty librarian. Too bad he didn't remember what happened.

He was tempted to get back to sleep, just to savor one last moment with imaginary Belle, but he decided against it. His bloody ringing phone reminded him he promised Bae to go with him to a flower show in Chapterton, a nearby town no bigger than Storybrooke. It was still a mystery to him why he wanted to go there when the morning before, he didn't care one bit for gardening. Perhaps it was a way to meet Emma when she was grounded. Her parents were the kind of people to attend this kind of event even when they had no garden. While he and Bae had a garden, they never really took care of it. The inside of the house was already hard enough to keep tidy, the outside could very well be the problem of someone else, aka, their gardener. Well, he supposed he'd find out in time why his son was so eager to see stupid flowers.

* * *

“Belle! Look at these lilies! We have to get some for the shop!”

For the nth time since that morning, the librarian turned accountant rolled her eyes at her father and asked the same fatal question:

“How much?”

Just like every time before, Moe tried to distract her by telling her some story about the specie he wanted to purchase or going into raptures about how rare it was. She didn't know if it was the hangover from last night or the fact that she knew how little money he had to live on — let alone to spend — but she felt quite irritable. Even the colorful beauty of the flowers gathered for the show did not appease her. Eventually, she reached out for the price tag and gaped at the exorbitant sum. There was no way in hell she'd let him buy that.

“No,” she said with a firmness she hoped he'd understand was conclusive.

“But Belle, I could sell those for so much more money. Why don't you trust me?”

“We are not talking about your loan again.”

Bringing this matter up had the merit of silencing him. At least when they were in public. Damn, this was making her head hurt so much.

“You didn't have to come if you don’t feel good, sweetheart.”

Her dad put a supportive hand on her shoulder, but it only served to anger Belle a bit more. If he thought he was subtle, he was sorely mistaken. Two could play this game.

“Of course. And then who would stop you from buying the whole show and ending up with flowers instead of a house?”

She wanted to add that the money he’d use wasn’t even his, but she didn't want to add fuel to the fire. At least she could still fake a smile and pretend for a second that her father wasn't squandering money like a kid in a candy store.

Belle also tried really hard not to think that it was Gold's money he was using. That part was harder to ignore. The remnants of memories from last night still came back to her from time to time, and all of them were about him. A genuine smile appeared on her lips when she thought about him, but it vanished when she realized her father would do everything he could to keep her away from him. Even though she was more than old enough to make her own choices, choosing Gold meant turning her back on her father, and she wasn't sure he would survive without her. Today was nothing if not a proof of that.

After a couple of other refusals, Belle started to think about leaving. She could give her father a budget in cash. That way, he wouldn't spend more than he had. Of course, he wouldn't too happy with the meager sum she'd allow him to squander, but she’d give him the same amount if she stayed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar face. With his messy brown hair, radiant smile and soft milk chocolate eyes, Bae was at the other end of the long alley, holding Emma's hand. They looked so cute together, a perfect little couple, that Belle could not resist smiling at them. This wasn't the kind of place she imagined them to be — her dad told her Emma wasn't fond of flowers and Bae only bought bouquets. Perhaps their parents… Oh God. What if Gold was there? He surely was, since Bae wasn't old enough to drive. Unless Emma's parents had driven him here. She wasn't that worried about meeting him. She would even have looked forward to it, were it not for her dad. Every chance he got, Moe spoke of Gold as if he was the Devil sent on Earth to ruin everyone in Storybrooke. She could only imagine how wrong them meeting here could go.

Avoiding Bae and Emma became a top priority. They hadn't seen her yet, the place was too crowded. Belle seized her chance: she took her father's arm and quickly turned at the next corner.

“Belle, what are—?”

She didn't hear the end of his question. She just caught a glimpse of a suit and a cane before she collided with someone. Expecting to fall, she was surprised to feel this someone's hand on her arm, catching her before her father did. After a short moment of shock, her eyes met Gold's confused but relieved face.

“Belle?”

His accent made her name sound so sensual that, for a blessed moment, she forgot everything that surrounded them. She smiled at him, and he replied by lifting a corner of his lips. If only this could never end.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That argument was really hard to write, I hope you'll like it. Also, this is the end of the brief history of chapter summaries since I can't write them without spoiling the whole chapter.

“Let go of my daughter!”

At once, Gold's gloved hand left her arm. Belle didn't have time to be disappointed at this loss. Her father gripped her shoulder so tightly it was almost painful, then he yanked her closer to him.

She braced herself for the fight that was no doubt about to come. Gold's confusion ebbed away as his gaze went from her to her father. Belle’s fears were close to becoming reality when his expression darkened. Still, he wasn’t smirking like everyone who confronted him said he was when he gets truly angry. There was still some hope of getting out of this mess unharmed.

“So much aggression from the man who would have let his daughter fall in the mud.”

Belle opened her mouth to cut the fight short before anything dreadful happened, but her father, already red with fury, was faster than her. Of course he couldn't let this occasion of shouting at the person he despised above anything else go to waste.

“I wouldn't! You were just faster than me because YOU made her fall!”

That stupid argument almost made her roll her eyes. Gold would eat him alive. If only he would look at her, he’d notice her pleading stare and leave. Was he ignoring her? He chuckled coldly and rested both his hands on his cane in front of him.

“It generally takes two people to bump into each other, dearie.”

Her father was making a fool of himself and Gold was turning into the beast everyone feared. She didn't want to see either of them at their worst. She stepped between the two men, her back to Gold, to stare at her father in the eye.

“Papa, there's no need to argue,” she insisted. “I'm perfectly fine. Let's go.”

She tried pulling her father out of Gold’s way, but it was of no use. He was twice her size and he thought it was a good opportunity to fight his nemesis. He easily shook her tiny hands off his arm and made her lost her balance a bit.

Belle immediately looked over her shoulder to make sure Gold wouldn’t catch her this time. The expression on his face had changed. His annoyance was gone, as his air of superiority. He looked worried for a moment. Then his anxious frown was quickly replaced by one of anger. Belle didn’t have time to wonder about it, her father took her by the shoulders, his fingers digging into her skin, and turned her back toward him.

“Are you on his side, now?” he asked her with large worried eyes. “Am I betrayed by my own daughter?”

That drama was more than Belle could stand. If she wasn’t sure that, left to their own devices, Gold and Moe would end up at the hospital or the police station, she would leave right this instant. With all her strength, she extracted herself from her father’s grip.

“Dad! You're embarrassing me,” she whispered through her gritted teeth.

Everyone was staring at them, by now. What started as a meaningless fight had escalated to the point gawkers gathered around them just to watch. Bae would better not be close to them. She would hate for him to see his father bullying hers.

“For once, you should listen to your daughter, dearie.”

Not him again. Couldn’t he stay silent, or better yet, just leave and spare her further shame? Belle was tempted to directly ask him to do just that, but she feared Gold was too far gone in his hatred to give up now. Their eyes met just long enough for her to see the contempt he felt for her father. Where did so much hostility come from?

“For once? You know nothing about my family, you monster!”

As Moe shouted, he seized her daughter’s arm again and pulled her closer to him. Belle gasped in pain as her father’s clutch squeezed her far too tight. She knew he meant to protect her, but not only there was no threat to protect her from, but he also was the one hurting her. When he realized that, her father released her. She was glad of it, although it wasn’t her arm Belle was worried about. She glanced at Gold just in time to see a dangerous smirk twisting his thin lips.

“It was just an educated guess. If you listened to her, you wouldn't have had to beg me for a loan you can't repay and burden your own ‘beloved’ daughter with your astronomical debts. You do realize she won’t be of much help with her meager salary, do you?”

Moe opened his mouth, but no answer came.

“Of course not,” Gold commented with a scornful sneer. “Chances are you will end up on the streets next week. And you will deserve it.”

Belle stayed perfectly still. She gaped at Gold, unable to think about anything but his cruelty. So this was what the monster of Storybrooke looked like. A snide devil who preyed on the week and hit them where it hurt the most. Of course her father had not thought this could impact her, he kept refusing her money and believing he could manage everything by himself. But that was only because he loved her so much he refused to bother her with his concerns and to get her involved in his dreadful situation. As flawed as he was, he was still her father and she still loved him for that.

As for Gold… The Gold she knew was nothing like that. He was shy and nervous and made her smile. After what she shared with him, she thought they were friends. She would never have imagined him capable of threatening to make her father homeless. After she witnessed his devilish side at work, she had to admit she underestimated it. How could both of those sides belong to the same coin?

After making sure his little speech had the desired effect on Moe, Gold’s eyes went to her. His smug expression crumbled at once. She was sure her internal turmoil was showing, draining her face of color and pricking her eyes with unshed tears. Robbed of his cocky confidence, he almost seemed human again, back to his vulnerable and endearing self. It didn’t last, though. He stared at her, searching something in the desperate expression distorting her pretty face. Whatever he found, it made the darkness return to his sharp features. She swore that if her father send him to the hospital, she wouldn’t be sorry.

“You know what?” Belle asked with a rising anger. “I'm done with both of you.”

Her accusing glare went from her father to Gold. She was glad that both of them flinched.

“I'm not just some weapon to be used in your stupid little war. I have feelings too, and right now all I'm feeling is shame,” she blamed her father with a glower, “and disappointment.”

That one was for Gold. As she said it, she turned her back on her father so he wouldn't see her watery eyes accusing the infuriating man in the impeccable suit of betrayal. No one dared to speak up, but they didn’t think less. Gold studied her for a moment which felt like an eternity. He made up his choice and smirked at her. His cruel mask slid back on his face.

“I see. So you were helping your dear father. I must say you nearly succeeded.”

What was he talking about? Belle squinted at him, as if it could help her to make sense of his expression of hurt and disbelief. It took her a moment to connect the dots, but, as absurd as it seemed, Gold sounded like he accused her of flirting with him to make him forget her father's debts. That couldn't be true. She didn't want to believe that nonsense. Her breathing was getting labored, but she still managed to ask:

“I beg your pardon?”

Gold tilted his head to the side and looked at her like he would at a dog too stupid to learn the most basic tricks. She shook her head slowly, with movements so small she wasn't sure he noticed them.

“You know very well what I'm talking about, dearie.”

His eyes, which were so sweet last time she saw him, were now as cold as ice, just like his acidic tone. Forced to believe he was serious, Belle was too shocked to do anything but stare and gape at him. The only part of her brain that still worked informed her that her father said something, but she didn't care one bit about it.

“I'm afraid you'll have to ask her,” Gold answered. “Now if you'll excuse me.”

He was about to turn around and leave, when Belle finally reacted.

“You couldn't take the chance, could you?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Since he would never acknowledge what she said in public, she walked to him until she was as close to him as she could without touching him. He tried to keep his imposing brown stare impassible, but she noticed a tinge of panic she was quite proud of.

“If you really think this was all about money, then I am truly sorry for you. If not… I've always thought I was a coward, but I see I've found worse than me. Anyway, you've made your choice. And you are going to regret it,” she promised with the same certainty he used to blame her.

Their faces were so close they could have been about to kiss. Belle wished she could have done just that, instead of having a heartfelt confrontation with a man who despised her. They stared at each other with an intensity that made the air crackle with tension. They forgot about the crowd, her father, or the laughable reason that started this argument. It was just them, their sore feelings, and their searching eyes, trying to read the other's soul to no avail. Before she gave in and kissed him in anger to show him what he'll miss, Belle turned around and walked away. No one tried to stop her. The crowd even parted to let her leave.

The dead silence that met their whole fight was gradually turning into hushed comments. She was glad it didn't happen in Storybrooke. She would have some hours, or a day at most, until the whole town knew what happened. Belle wasn't ready to deal with that. She strode to her father’s car, happy that she had convinced him to take his van for the flowers so he would have a way to get home without her, and slumped on the driver's seat. As soon as she closed the car's door, tears spilled down her cheeks. The one man she truly fell in love with did not love her back.

* * *

In the Cadillac, the ride back home from Chapterton was dead silent. At first, Bae tried to get his father to smile by telling him about how Emma had managed to trick her parents into coming here to meet him, and how he had done the same with him. He got no answer. His son wasn't stupid. He quickly noticed something was amiss with him. The pretext that his ankle hurt him from walking so much didn't fool him. Bae didn't point it out, but Gold could see he knew better than his dad's literally lame excuses.

Once at the house, he almost forgot to take his ice pack out of the fridge before going to his room. It occurred to him he behaved like an angsty teenager. He wondered if Bae would come in and ask him what was wrong with him. Gold sighed and laid down on his bed with a tired groan. Why wouldn't this day end now?

As soon as he closed his eyes, he could see her again. The beautiful and jovial librarian he turned into a bundle of pain and tears. She had deceived him. She had meant to use him to forgive her father's debt. She didn't want to have anything else to do with him. How could he have been such a fool as to think a goddess like her could have any genuine interest in an old monster like him?

He imagined she thought about her plan after he saved her from Keith. She saw how weak he was against her charm. He was an easy prey with a huge reward for the kill. Only she hadn't planned on him running into her and her father. He would not forget her distress and her glares when he met them anytime soon. Despite everything, he still thought of her as a good person. The poor woman was only trying to help her father. She must have felt guilty, seeing him and Moe face to face. Then she realized this would never work. She had seen what he truly was: a heartless beast who would rather die than give a penny to Moe French.

The man treated her worse than a dog. For one, he knew the exact sum Belle would have to pay because of her father if she didn't want him to lose everything he owned. And that sum was far too much for her to do anything about it. She could only repay a drop of the ocean her father owed him. Then there was the matter of how behaved with her. He grabbed her with his massive paws like she was nothing more than a piece of meat he could drag and shove as he pleased. If that wasn't enough, he also shamed her in public in front of a whole town with his childishness and stupidity. Before that encounter, Gold thought of Moe as just a bad debtor. Now he was also the worst father he knew, and that was something Gold could not abide.

His success at defending her against Keith had made him believe he could protect her from Moe too. He made a spectacle of himself by challenging him, and for what? To have his heart broken. Now that he lost her, he could tell himself that he did like her very much. Too much for his own good. She had been so nice to him, not once judging him for his reputation, that he couldn't have felt any other way. Why was it that he messed up every woman he became close to? Belle should have talked to his ex-wife before meeting him. Given the said ex-wife didn't end up in an asylum. He wouldn't be surprised if she did.

Gold turned around on his bed. He still had some time before having go downstairs to start cooking lunch and pretend he wasn't having (very) late teenage angst. The supposedly grown man slipped his hand under his pillow, and frowned when it encountered something he had forgotten. He took Belle's napkin out of its hiding place. He stared at it for a couple of minutes, unsure if he wanted to hug it and never let go of it or burn it after tearing it apart. Since Bae was born, he had learned to control his destructive anger. Now that his boy was old enough to avoid glass shards or raging fires, Gold was tempted to take back that old habit.

Yet he couldn't help bringing the napkin to his nose to smell her forbidden perfume. A dreadful feeling crept its way into his heart. Her last words came back to his mind. She felt sorry for him. He was a coward. And he would regret not falling into her delicious trap. It reminded him of Milah. The two woman had nothing in common except these words and the fact that he did fall into Milah's trap. Even then, he refused to tarnish the memories he shared with Belle with the ghost of his ex-wife.

Gold stared at the napkin for a while, as if it could give him every answer to his confused feelings. He looked for the answer to one question in particular. Belle was the one who betrayed his trust, so why did he feel so guilty?

* * *

When Belle finally got home, she didn't know if she was more sad or angry. Did such a thing as an angry depression even exist? The only sure thing was that she needed to call Ruby. She wanted her friend to learn about this public disaster directly from her rather than gossips. Besides, talking about her feelings might help her too. The sooner the better. God. Why couldn’t this day end already? First, she went to the kitchen to drink the comforting remains of last night's wine. Second, she picked up her phone and collapsed on her sofa. Finally, she took a deep breath and dialed Ruby's phone number. She answered at the first ring.

“Hi, Belle. How do you feel?”

“I don't know. That's why I'm calling you. I'm not bothering you, am I?”

“No, not at all. Don't worry. Did you feel too sick to go to Chapterton with your dad?”

When Belle had told her about her plan with her father for the next day, Ruby kept telling her that it was the worst thing to do after a night spent drinking. She knew the brunette would have a massive headache and get mad at Moe for his reckless behavior. Belle should have listened to her. She should have stolen that credit card her dad stubbornly refused to give her and left him to go to that stupid show alone. From now on, she would listen more carefully to Ruby. Except when she made lewd suggestions. Although, if she had been more straightforward with Gold, it might have worked. No, it was best to ignore that path. For now.

“No, I did go with him. The thing is… something unexpected happened.”

“Okay,” Ruby slowly encouraged. “Do you want me to come over?”

Belle must have sounded more depressed than she thought to make Ruby worry so much when she didn't even know what this was about.

“No, I think I'd rather be alone for now. I just wanted to have your opinion about… what happened.”

The line was silent for a moment. Should she wait for Ruby to pick up the conversation or just tell her everything?

“Don't tell me this is about Gold.”

The terror in her voice reflected perfectly what she felt when she saw the two men face to face. Belle stifled a nervous laugh. She wasn't about to make the same mistake twice with Ruby.

“It is.”

From her simple answer, Belle elaborated until she told her in details everything that happened on this cursed morning. Ruby didn't cut her once, no doubt hanging to her every word. It was only after a long silence that she hissed:

“That bastard! I can't believe he threatened to ruin you then accused you of selling your body to save your dad's ass! Now I really want to come over and hug you.”

“No, it's… Well, it's not okay, but I think Gold would need it more than me. That, or a kick in the ass.”

Belle chuckled at her own remark, but she got worried when Ruby didn't mirror her.

“Oh, Belle. I'm so proud of you.”

“Wait, what?”

“Some years ago, you would have blamed yourself for losing him, or done something equally stupid. You're doing so well. I mean,” she added when she realized what she was saying, “I'm sorry it didn't work out with Gold. I was really rooting for you two, despite what I said about him. But I'm glad—”

“What?” Belle said again.

“What what?”

Now that was confusing.

“You really wanted me to get together with Gold?”

“Until he said those horrible things. Now it's okay if you let him rot where he is.”

“But… What made you think we would be good together?”

“Well, I think you were right when you said that something made him that way. The split personality, I mean. Maybe he got hurt, so now he bites everyone who comes near him. And I thought it was really romantic that you were the only one who could approach him without having him jumping at your throat. That is, until he did.”

Belle noticed the worried edge in her voice. Of course, Ruby didn't want to push her in the arms of someone who made her sad. With Gaston, she's already had her fair share of tears, and they both knew it. But maybe, just maybe, this time she wanted those tears.

“Ruby…”

“Yes, Belle?”

“Do you think it would be masochistic of me to go after him?”

“Well, hum,” she answered, trying not to swallow her tongue in astonishment. “Yes, a bit. But if it's what's you're into…”

“Ruby!”

“Sorry, sorry. Look. What I'm trying to say is… I want you to be happy. And from what you told me last night, you had it pretty bad for him. Did what happened this morning change that?”

It took some minutes for Belle to find an answer to that question. But when she did, she was sure about it.

“Now I want him even more. Of course, a part of me is still boiling in anger at what he said this morning and would want nothing more than punch him in the face for that. But there's another part that tells me he has a real problem with people who try to get to know him. A problem only I can help him with because I'm the only one who cares. I want to find the adorable nervous man I fell in love with again.”

Ruby stifled a squeal at her declaration of love by turning it into a cough. Since it wasn't subtle, she distracted her with a question.

“But what if he doesn't want to be helped? He's been like this since he's in Storybrooke and showed no sign he wanted to change.”

“The sign is that we had something special before today. In fact, we still do, even if it's messed up. We shared things I don't ever want to forget, even if it hurts now. I want to fight for the man I met four days ago. He's worth it. Because he's the man I want to be with.”

“Oh, Belle! My little warrior! You have to go and get him!”

It seemed Ruby was even more excited than her about her relationship with Gold. Perhaps she missed man hunting now that she was with Archie.

“I need to think of a plan. He's won't be easy to catch.”

“If I can help you with anything, I'm just a call away.”

“Thank you, Ruby. For everything.”

Since the end of her relationship with Gaston, Ruby had been very patient with her. Cheering her up, getting her nose out of her books, or just listening to her, were so many little things that had helped her to overcome her depression. Without Ruby, she would never have gotten that far with Gold. Now it was time for her to stand on her own and go get the stupid man she loved.

“No problem. And remember: I'm just a call away.”

“I will. Bye.”

Belle hung up, but didn't move from her spot on her sofa. She made the right choice, going after him. Had he turned her down because he didn't like her, she wouldn't have stopped crying and would probably still be on Chapterton's parking lot. But he had just given himself a pretext to push her away. To fix their situation, she either had to snoop in his life to understand what made him so wary, or to prove him she wasn't after his money. She was dying to know more about him, but she wanted to respect his private life. Spying on him wasn't the best way to convince him to trust her. The second option it was, then. She had little time to act, though, since her father had another mortgage to pay next week. But she would make it. She had to.


	9. Chapter 9

Belle stood before Game of Thorns. She took a deep breath and went in. Her father had to be in the back of the shop to prepare this morning's acquisitions for the next day. Sure enough, she found him at his work table with his hands full of soil. He was so focused on his task that he hadn't heard her coming in the shop.

“Hey, papa.”

He quickly turned around, his eyes darting to her. She didn't know how to interpret the surprise on his face. Or he shocked to see her? Anyway, he didn't look pleased by her presence.

“Oh, Belle.”

The tone of his voice only confirmed her worries. It was distant, as if he was thinking about something he didn't want her to know. She was thankful he was so bad at lying: she immediately found the bottle of cheap alcohol hidden between his pots. Belle sighed and looked at him with pleading eyes.

“You said you stopped.”

“I know. I did. I'm sorry.”

His gaze evaded her altogether. He sat heavily on the bench behind him and rubbed his eyes. All of a sudden, he looked so weak and lost she didn't know if she would have the strength to do what she came for. She went to sit beside him and put a comforting hand on his knee. She smiled when he covered her tiny hand with his large one. They stayed like this for a moment, with Belle leaning against her father's shoulder. She knew he needed her beside him more than anything.

The first time he got addicted to alcohol, after her mother's murder, she had been the one to take care of him. She was barely ten, but already smart enough to tell him they could start a new life in another country. The second time, she found him passed out in the living room surrounded by various empty bottles. She still remembered she thought for the first time she was lucky Gaston cheated on her, otherwise, she wouldn't have come back from college earlier than planned. Both of them were miserable, but they had each other, and that was more than enough. They say things always come in threes, but Belle would do anything to keep her father safe.

Having her beside him seemed to work. He whispered with a rough voice:

“I'm sorry about this morning too. I didn't mean to embarrass you.”

“It's okay,” she reassured him as she tightened her hold on his hand. “But next time you come across Gold, you would better avoid him.”

“You don't think I'm capable of defending you?”

Belle fell from his shoulder when he turned to her. He looked a bit upset, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

“I just meant you tend to get carried away when you talk to him, and your relationship with him is disastrous enough as it is.”

Instead of calming him down as she intended, this remark made him frown even more deeply.

“Why do you suddenly care about my relationship with Gold?”

Worse than confused, he sounded suspicious. Belle feared what was going through his mind right now. The more she thought about it, the more she looked guilty of whatever he wanted to accuse her. From the look on his face, the sentence for her crime was something akin to death.

“If I hadn't stepped between the two of you this morning, you would have ended up either in jail or the hospital and we don't have the means to let that happen. We would be lucky if that bastard—”

“Belle?” her father interrupted her with a shocked tone.

“What? You call him that all the time!” Belle blamed him.

“But you don't.”

A good offense might be a good defense, but in her case, that motto put her at a disadvantage. She was a calm person, so she only got angry when something was really wrong. She couldn't have blown her cover more thoughtfully had she wanted to do it on purpose. Belle sighed. She looked at her father in the eye, hoping it might intimidate him enough to shut up.

“And?”

He hesitantly opened his mouth, and closed it. Belle was about to smile at her victory, but the moment the corners of her lips turned up, her father crushed her hopes of having some respite.

“And I saw the way you looked at each other.”

Moe didn't look at her, but he gripped her hand tightly.

“I may be blind with hate for him, but I am your father. If you had told me about him, I could have—”

“You would have told me to stay away from him and I wouldn't have listened to you because…,” Belle took a deep breath to try to keep her calm. “Because you said it yourself: you're blind with hate for him. You don't know him as I do.”

“But it seems you know him as _I_ do, now.”

Belle shot him a glare he recoiled from when he risked a glance at her. She was about to apologize when he bravely turned fully toward her and took both her hands in his.

“I want you safe and happy, Belle. That… man clearly can't give that to you.”

“What makes you so sure about it? What do you really know about him? You just have petty fights with him. You've never had a civil conversation with him.”

“That very morning, I heard him accusing you of seducing him for money. That tells me more about him than any civil conversation with that beast could. For God's sake, Belle! He will break your heart for his money! I can not let you go back to how you were after Gaston. As your father, I can not let that happen to you again.”

Moe was staring into her eyes, begging her to see things like he did. His deep worry and sincerity moved her. She was all he had left of a family, his only daughter. Of course he wanted to protect her. He only wanted the best for his little girl. But what if she didn't want the best? What if she preferred the broken and tortured soul of a lonely man? More than anything, she wanted to stop feeling miserable. She had to break out of the cage Gaston had trapped her in. When she was with Gold, she could feel the bars slowly bending to let her pass. She wasn't about to let them slide back into place.

“I understand that you're worried about me. Really, I do. I know Gold's reputation as much as you do, but this isn't who he truly is. There's good in him, I know I'm right.”

“No you're not,” he affirmed after he patiently refrained from interrupting her. “Belle. That man is dangerous. He—”

“You—”

“Belle! Listen! Remember that he's suspected of having killed his wife! The only reason he's not in prison is because they never found the body!”

“What? You can't seriously believe that.”

Belle remembered that old rumor. Gold's wife disappeared about ten years ago, when Belle was out of town in a boarding school. Her dad kept ranting about it when he visited her the days that followed the mysterious events. At that time, she had no interest in Gold. Having one person in the French family obsessed about that man was enough. She forgot all about it the moment Moe stopped talking about it. Now that she thought back about it, she realized the vanished wife may very well be the reason behind Gold's lack of trust. Could he really have killed her? Even by accident? She refused to believe it.

“Even if he didn't kill her, he's still too dangerous for you.”

It was getting ridiculous. Belle scoffed and turned her father's argument against him.

“And you think he's not dangerous for you? Imagine you're right and he's a cold-blooded murderer. What do you think he'll do to you when he finds out you can't repay what you borrowed from him?”

“Don't change the subject, Belle. My loan has nothing to do with that.”

“It has everything to do with that! Why do you think he assumed the worst about me this morning? He knows very well you're desperate to find the money to pay him back. I'm sure you don't even have enough to make next week's payment.”

“Belle…”

“Tell me the truth!”

Moe looked everywhere but at her. He opened and closed his mouth several time, but no sound came out. That was more than she could stand. Tears were clouding her eyes. Her jaw shook.

“You know you can tell me anything. I'm your daughter. Why have you never asked me for help, papa?”

“Belle… I'm your father. I'm supposed to look after you. Not be a burden.”

His voice was teary too and his glassy eyes stared at her like she was the sun: too bright to be directly looked at. She took his large red hands in hers again.

“You are not a burden, papa. We're a family, we both have to look after each other. We've lived through worst thing together, didn't we?”

Emotion was strangling Moe. He could do nothing more than nod and blink back tears.

“This time we just have to find some money. It will be easy. If you throw your bottles away, we will get through it together. I promise you. You will not end up on the street.”

“Oh Belle. My little princess. I love you.”

“I love you too, papa.”

It was all he could say before pulling his daughter into his arms for a bone crushing hug. Belle patted him on the back as he started to cry. She fought hard not to shed tears of her own. From now on, she would be strong for both of them.

At least one good thing would have come out of Gold's delusion. She could barely believe it, but she was actually glad he rejected her. How odd that the only two times a man rebuffs her, it saves her father. This time, however, she would not give up on the man in question. He was worth the trouble. She was sure of it.

* * *

## D -7

Emma hated the fact that her mother was working at the school. It wasn't because of the other kids. They knew she'd punch them in the face if they breathed a word about her mom. She just felt like she was being watched all day long, as if her mother didn't trust her to behave if she looked away. Thankfully, she wasn't her teacher, or things might have gotten really nasty. They had trouble at home, but school was okay thanks to Bae and Henry.

Today, her opinion on that situation was different. Emma feared the worst when her mother walked to the trio's corner of the schoolyard. She kept sending her pleading glares, but when Mary Margaret had something in mind, there was no stopping her.

“Hi kids. How are you?”

“Fine,” Emma answered coldly, suggesting her appearance was about to change her answer.

As patient as ever, Mary Margaret carefully avoided her daughter's black glare and talked to the boys.

“I'm sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to know if you had news about Belle.”

“Belle? Why?” Henry asked with worry.

He wasn't the only one to be concerned by the question. The four of them glanced nervously at each other.

“I thought you knew, with you being in the library all the time…”

Her voice trailed off. She kept looking at the teenagers with an uncomfortable expression. It wasn't hard to see she had upset them, and now she felt guilty about it. Before Emma would get mad at her, she confessed the reason she came to them.

“I don't mean to spread gossips, but some teachers say Belle started working at Granny's early this morning.”

“What? But what about the library?”

“Don't worry, Henry. I'm sure she's just working at the diner when the library's closed,” Mary Margaret suggested.

“Bae?” Emma called him.

Since her mother had broken the news to them, her friend was staring into the void with his mouth open wide. Emma put a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. The panic she saw in his eyes as he stared at her was alarming, but he quickly shook his head and looked at her mom as if nothing happened.

“Do you know why she took another job?”

“I can only imagine she has money problems…” she whispered as she started to fidget.

“Mom.”

Emma's commanding tone and menacing stare did the job. It was pretty simple to know when her mom was hiding something she hesitated to say.

“I'm sorry you learn that from me, Bae, but apparently, your father and Belle met yesterday in Chapterton and they had an argument. I am not jumping to conclusions,” she added hastily before her words would be misinterpreted, “there is no proof those two things are related. I don't even know what they said to each other. More importantly, this is none of my business.”

She paused in her tirade to take a breath and make sure she didn't hurt Bae's feelings. The boy seemed to be alright. He even looked a bit excited. When he caught her eyes, though, he put on a worried face again. She didn't look at her daughter. If she had, she would have seen she was far beyond upset.

“Like I said, I'm not here to gossip. I just wanted to make sure Belle is okay. If you go to see here this afternoon—”

“We will,” Bae immediately said.

Mary Margaret was a bit stunned by this sudden answer, but she knew they were close friends with the librarian.

“Then please tell her that if she needs anything at all, she can ask me and David. I will see her myself as soon as I have some time.”

“We will tell her,” Henry echoed his friend.

“Thank you. Have a good day.”

When her mother left, Emma was careful to hide how distressed she was. She smiled vaguely and, as soon as her mom was out of sight, she let a loud groan of frustration out and hid her face with her hands.

“I messed everything up!”

“No you didn't. Emma,” Bae encouraged her, taking her hands in his. “If it happened yesterday, it could have happened on Valentine's Day, and it's better now than then. We still have a week to make things right. Besides, if they overcome this, their relationship will only be stronger.”

“But what if they don't?”

“You have to believe,” Henry asserted.

Emma snorted. That sounded like something her parents could have said.

“He's right,” Bae added. “If they don't believe in themselves, someone has to it for them. I told you I wondered why my dad looked depressed, and now I have the answer: it's because he feels bad about being a jerk to Belle. If I'm right, it means he still feels something for her. It's not too late.”

“We don't even know what happened,” Emma complained.

“Then we'll learn,” Bae retorted with passion.

It had been quite difficult for him to rein his excitement in when Emma's mom was there. He had spent the rest of last day wondering what was wrong with his father. Now that he had a lead, he wasn't about to let go of it. His father's happiness was close and he would get it for him if his dad wasn't strong enough to get it himself.

“It's time to write a new chapter to operation Gecko.”


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as the bell rang, the trio ran out of school and split up. Emma borrowed Bae's skateboard to go faster than the boys. She had what she thought was the most important role and the wouldn't let the school bus hinder her. Her mother would suffocate her with hugs if she knew she rode the skateboard without a helmet and hung on to cars to go ever faster. Her destination came into view in record time. Perhaps she'd buy a skateboard of her own. Those things were quite handy. But then she'd miss riding with Bae. Not that she would tell him.

The little bell of Gold's shop rang as she came in. Emma has always thought this place was creepy. On the night of the first time she came here, she had a nightmare about the sinister couple of wooden dolls on the display case near the front door. Every time she came, she hoped some lunatic would have bought them. But here they were, as always, staring at her with their horrified painted eyes.

“Miss Swan,” Gold called her.

She was so focused on glaring at the puppets he almost made her jump. When she turned around, she noticed his unnerving smirk. That damn bastard. If he wasn't Bae's dad, she would have told him where he could shove that smirk a long time ago.

“Should I be worried Bae isn't with you?”

Emma groaned as she remembered what he was hinting at.

“Come on, I locked him up in the gym storage room once. And it was four years ago. You need to let it go.”

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

That man was infuriating. She hoped Bae wouldn't become like that when he gets older. It was a wonder — and a blessing — he was so different from his father.

“Bae told me about the scarf. I mean, his scarf. That you made it from scratch and it means a lot to both of you.”

“What about it?”

He kept grinning at her, but the grimace on his face told her he knew what she'd say and he wouldn't like it one bit.

“I'm the one who stole it. We were at the library, I was bored, and I thought it would make him call me that night. I didn't know he'd call you first.”

“I'm his father, what did you expect?”

Really? He wanted to argue about who Bae thought of first when he lost something? From the black glare he send her, she supposed he was.

“That he would make the logical choice of asking me or Henry if we saw it in the library before giving you a heart attack?”

His glare faded and his mouth twitched as a chuckle escaped him.

“You will never cease to amaze me, miss—”

“My name is Emma,” she cut him impatiently.

“You are quite on top form, today… Emma.”

Although he finally called her by her first name, his grin spoiled the moment. He was so amused by her anger that she was dying to punch him in the face. It wasn't like he was too tall for her to do that. On the contrary, she was slowly getting some inches taller than him. Anyway, he would soon become disenchanted once she drops Belle's name.

“However, I fail to see why you've come to tell me that.”

She snorted for good measure. That whole story was just a buck of lies Bae gave her to work with. He knew his father, so there was no reason he wouldn't believe something his son came up with just for him.

“Because I don't want Bae, or Belle, for that matter, to take the blame for something I did.”

The lady's name did exactly as Bae said it would. Gold froze, then frowned, then looked more sad than she ever saw him. Finally, he send her a glare filled with so much hate Emma almost took a step back. She was glad she thought about putting the counter between them. Strangely enough, he reminded her of a boar. If you hurt him, you'd better make sure you kill him before he kills you first. It was a wonder Belle wasn't dead yet. Perhaps that was the clue she was looking for. She was sure she could get something better out of him, now that the subject had been breached.

“Why would I blame her for the scarf?” he asked.

His anger dissipated a bit, just to allow himself to get interested in what she had to say. That wasn't good. But it took more than that to scare Emma Swan.

“Bae told me you accused her of stealing it. Although I have no idea why you would do that. It's not like she would have ransomed it.”

Emma pulled her best innocent face, but Gold only smirked, his expression too dark to show any kind of genuine amusement. She knew that face never worked on anyone. She should practice it with Henry. Whatever he did, no one ever blamed him.

“You do not know what desperate people are ready to do to solve their problems.”

Clearly, they weren't talking about the scarf anymore. Just as Bae had planned. Damn, he was getting better than his father at this little game, and that was saying something. And a bit scary too. She'd have to keep an eye on him. Anyway, this was her chance.

“You mean, like making you fall in love with them?”

“I beg your pardon?”

Gold cocked his head to the side and leaned toward her as if he didn't quite hear her. She knew it was nothing more than an ultimatum before he invited her to continue this conversation in the backroom to throttle her. So that was why the boys send her to fight the old dragon. Those cowards.

“It's not rocket science. Bae told me you were smiling way too much the night you went to the library and saved Belle, then he said you were completely out of it yesterday.”

“So this is why you came here.”

He leaned a bit forward, putting his hands flat on the counter in front of him, possibly to prevent him from snapping her neck without noticing it. Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. They were finally getting somewhere. A step closer to her mission's aim.

“It was his idea to—”

“Yet here you are, doing the dirty job.”

“I'm here for him! Because he's worried about you and he knows you'll lie to him!”

“I never lie to my son.”

“Really? That explains why you didn't tell him what happened yesterday with Belle.”

“This is none of your concern, miss—”

“Emma!”

“Miss Swan,” he insisted. “This is something between me and my son.”

“And Belle,” she corrected him.

By now, his jaw was twitching dangerously. He was close to cutting her throat right here right then with a nearby antique sword, and bury her body in the woods. While he desperately tried to calm his nerve enough to speak without shouting at her, she gave him what he wanted: the condition of her departure.

“You are right: this is something which should stay between you and Bae. But you know why he send me here? Because he's desperate to get an honest answer. I remember you are quite familiar with desperate people.”

The big bad wolf gnashed his teeth, but Emma only thought about the imminent success of her mission.

“Bae is my best friend, I am not leaving with nothing. Promise me you'll talk to him about it without lying and I leave you alone.”

Gold stared at her for a moment, frowning deeply at the young woman before him. Emma was tempted to ask him if she had something on her face, but she didn't want to distract him when she had him so close to where she wanted him. Eventually, she couldn't resist raising her eyebrows. He pushed himself away from the counter, making her fear the worst.

“Deal.”

Emma didn't make him say it twice. Instead, she looked at him in the eye and simply nodded. He nodded back, not bothering to hide the fact he looked resigned. Through the message was unspoken, she knew they both thought the same thing: they would both do anything for Bae.

As promised, she left the shop. The tiny bell bidding her goodbye in its master's place. Her mission had been demanding, but it was a success. She took a couple of deep breaths as she walked away to the diner where she and the boys had agreed to meet. Emma hoped she would be the first. She didn't want them to see how her confrontation with Gold affected her.

* * *

Bae was a bit nervous about going to see Moe. He would have preferred dealing with Belle, but seeing him might influence her feelings too much to get an honest answer. And since he couldn't possibly go to talk to his father, that left him with Belle's father.

He took a moment to look at the man trimming some plant through the glass door. Damn, he had some giant scissors. He gulped audibly, and, relying on the fact Moe never showed hostility toward him, walked in the flower shop.

As Bae opened the door, a bell rang, just like in his dad's shop. However, the similarities stopped there. While the pawnshop was dark and cluttered with ancient objects, every nook of the flower shop was filled with life. Bright green leaves danced with the hot air that blew on them, colorful flowers perfumed the whole place with their delicate fragrance, and some trees were watching him from their high tops. It always amazed him to see the contrast between the two places. A treasure room and a jungle.

When Moe looked up from his plant, Bae saw his face changing expression several times as thoughts passed through his mind. His regular commercial smile crumbled when he noticed who his customer was. Then he winced, looked away, and scratched his head. When he looked back at him, Moe's face showed nothing but kindness.

“Come in, boy,” he invited him, noticing Bae didn't dare to step closer. “What can I do for you?”

So far, so good. Moe wasn't mad enough at the father to throw the son out of his shop. The teenager walked to the counter, smiling at the older man. He was very careful not to do anything that reminded him of his loaner and tried instead to look cute and harmless as Henry taught him.

“I'm… looking for flowers for Valentine's day.”

“I think it's a bit early for that, don't you?”

“Well, the thing is, Emma saw a particular kind of flowers when we went to Chapterton and I was afraid you would have to order them and they wouldn't get here on time.”

At the mention of Chapterton, Moe's eyes widened and he gaped at Bae. He looked so shocked that the boy wasn't sure he heard what he said after the town's name. Bae looked down to give him time to recover. When he glanced up with a worried and guilty expression, Moe came back to himself.

“Yes. Of course. Hum, yes.”

He cleared his throat, then added:

“Do you… Do you remember the name of those flowers?”

“Hum… It was sounded like… Garden… something.”

“Gardenia?”

“Yes! That's the name!”

Bae was glad they found it. He hadn't told the others what his pretext for visiting Moe was, because he had a real reason to go to the florist and he wanted to keep it a secret. Emma would be so surprised when he'll come to fetch her home on Valentine's day with a bouquet of the only kind of flowers that found favor with her. He couldn't wait for that day.

Seeing Bae getting so excited at the mention of those flowers and his joy at finding that name made Moe smile broadly.

“Those sure are very pretty, they're often used in wedding bouquets. But it comes at a cost. I'll have to order them and they're quite expensive.”

Bae loved how he looked embarrassed at the mention of the price. He thought for a moment that if Moe didn't need the money so badly, he might give him a discount. The thing he loved even more was that he didn't assume his father spoiled him with far too much pocket money.

“I just need enough for a small bouquet. How much would five of them cost?”

“I don't have the exact price in mind. It would be something like a hundred dollars.”

The price made Bae grind his teeth. He tried to hide it before Moe noticed it, but it was too late.

“I know. I would have sold them to you for lesser than that if I could, but Belle would kill me,” Moe said on a joking tone.

It wasn't enough to lighten this hurtful truth. Bae bit his lip and looked down again. He couldn't keep it any longer.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered.

Saying it out loud brought tears to his eyes. He understood Moe had to pay back his loan, but his father had been just as irresponsible loaning money to someone who had trouble with keeping it. The right choice would have been to help his debtor with his accounts, instead of threatening him and taking advantage of the situation.

“You don't have to be, Bae. None of this is your fault.”

When Bae looked up, Moe was close to tears too. How could his father hate this man?

“I know, but… I want my dad to be a good man. I tried to make him change, and I fail all the time. I wish he would listen to me.”

“I'm sure he does listen to you, Bae. But you can not change a man,” he warned him, snorting at the idea. “Belle tried to make me a responsible man for longer than you've been alive, and… well, you know my situation. There isn't much you can do, so try not to worry yourself too much about it.”

This speech didn't convince him. Bae knew that his father was capable of changing and being a nice person. Before yesterday's argument, he had been nice to Belle. He was quite sure he even had fallen in love in her. But that wasn't something he could tell Moe if he wanted to get out of the shop with his head on his shoulders. Anyway, that wasn't the reason he came to the flower shop.

“Still, I feel bad about what he did and I'd like to help you.”

“I won't take your money, Bae.”

The stern expression on Moe's face almost made the teenager give up. Only the thought of his mission — and the fact that Emma would mock him for failing — kept him going.

“Not even to buy the flowers?” he asked meekly.

Moe seemed to hesitate a bit. He knew exactly what the boy was doing and he wasn't sure he should let him do it. No matter how old they were, customers were customers. Besides, he could hardly let the boy go on his Valentine's day date without a bouquet.

“Alright. But,” he added as soon as Bae grinned at him, “promise me you'll pay me with honest money.”

“Of course, I promise,” he replied instantly.

Bae took some time to look as if he was deep in thought. He stared at Moe who raised an eyebrow at him with curiosity. Now was the moment of truth.

“Would you have use for a delivery boy?”

His proposition almost gave Moe a heart attack. The man gaped at him, then coughed, all the while staring at him with wide eyes. Bae grimaced a bit. He hoped that wasn't a no. Not only for his mission, but also because he would have to ask his father for money to buy the flowers and that would cause a lot of problems he didn't want to deal with.

“That would be a bit too much, don't you think?”

“Please, I really need those flowers and don't have the money. If it's because of my father, I'll ask for his permission to work with you, I'll even give you a signed paper and everything.”

The two of them stared at each other, one with pleading eyes and the other with a skeptical grimace. It didn't take long for the latter to give up the fight. The Gold were champions at puppy faces. It was a wonder his father never used this talent to make his tenants pay their rent instead of scaring them to death. He wouldn't have the same reputation, then.

“Alright, but—”

“Yes! Thank you so much!”

“But only if your father gives his permission. I have enough trouble with him as it is.”

“Of course. I'll come back tomorrow morning with the good news.”

“Are you so sure he'll like you working with me?”

“He'll shout a bit, but I think he'll be proud that I want to work instead of just asking him for money.”

Moe smiled at him kindly. If the wide counter wasn't between them, he was quite sure he'd ruffle his hair.

“Well, he'd better be. You're a good kid, Bae. He's lucky to have you.”

“Thank you, Mr French. See you tomorrow.”

“I'm looking forward to it.”

Once Bae was outside, they waved at each other. Moe was such a nice man, it was too bad his relationship with his dad was so atrocious. Hopefully, when operation Gecko is over, they would reconcile with each other. A man can dream.

* * *

Of course, the most delicate part of the plan had been entrusted with Henry. The fact that he was friend with Belle gave him a certain advantage compared to Emma and Bae, but Henry also had a gift with people the others didn't have: an angel's face. Bae had one too and he wasn't bad at using it, but he was still a beginner since he didn't like to overuse his power. Henry used it to get free stuff like ice cream or comic books at least once a week. The problem was that Belle knew about it and wouldn't be fooled that easily. Perhaps Bae wouldn't have been bad for this mission. He knew other ways manipulate people. When they have some time, he'd ask him about it to learn a thing or two. It could come in handy.

As every afternoon, Henry came into the library with a light step. Belle wasn't at the counter, so he went to look for her between the shelves. He found her in the history section, with a big heavy book in her hands and her eyes staring a high empty place in a bookcase which was just the right size for the book.

“Damn it,” she muttered.

“Can I help you?”

Henry's question made Belle jump. Hopefully, she didn't drop the book or she could have hurt her toes pretty badly. She smiled when she saw him.

“Oh, Henry. Hi. How are you?”

“Fine, and you?”

The innocent question made her smile falter for a second. It came back almost instantly, but it didn't escape Henry who had been looking for it.

“I'm getting by. Except with this damn biography of Napoleon. I'm too short to put it back in its right place.”

“Let me.”

Henry took the book from Belle's hands and put it on its high shelf. It was a bit hard since the book was heavy and he had to rise on tiptoe, but he managed to do it. Belle looked at him up and down in wonder.

“I never noticed you grew up so much. I mean, I noticed you got taller than me,” she said on playfully reproaching tone, “I'm just surprised that you got tall enough to reach that shelf.”

Henry blushed a bit at the compliment and Belle's proud expression. Her smile didn't affect only Bae's father. Thinking of him reminded Henry of his mission. Knowing Belle, playing the card of honesty was the best option. He just hoped it wouldn't backfire.

“So. Do you want to talk about your problems now or after we're done with my homework?”

For a moment, Belle was stunned. She stared blankly at him and stopped only after she blinked. Then she looked a mix of irritated and embarrassed.

“I don't really want to talk about my problems.”

“But I want to help. I could ask my mom to—”

“It's really nice of you, Henry. But this is something I need to take care of myself.”

She looked a bit guilty to refuse his help outright, so she decided to at least give him a reason. Belle went to sit at a table nearby and Henry sat next to her when she pulled out the chair beside her. Her eyes didn't quite met his. If she was choosing her words, it could only mean she was about to explain something important and delicate to him. She did look the same as when she gave him the talk because his own mother was too embarrassed to do it herself. He prayed she wouldn't talk about that.

“My father borrowed a lot of money from Mr Gold. And because he has a serious problem with keeping money, almost all of it got lost. Since then, he miraculously managed to slowly pay back what he owed. But this time, he won't make it without my help. I wish I could let him deal with that alone, it would finally teach him to be careful with money. But he's my father, I can't let him lose everything he owns if I can prevent it. I have to hope that knowing his actions hurt me is enough. So if good things come out of his mistakes on top of my help, he will never learn. Do you understand, now, why I can't accept your help?”

It physically hurt Henry to nod. Of course he understood why it was so important for Belle to pay that debt alone, but it wasn't fair to let her suffer for it. She admitted it herself that it pained her. As her friend, he could not simply watch her destroy herself for her father's sake. Whether or not she accepted his help, the trio had plans to rescue her. They would only have to be careful and not get caught by Belle's father so as not to ruin Belle's effort to fix her dad's problem with money. Thinking about his mission helped him to fight back his tears.

“I understand. I'm not happy about it, but I understand.”

“Thank you, Henry. You've always been very smart.”

That, he was. He's just had a wonderful idea to gather extra intel.

“So this has nothing to do with your meeting with Gold at Chapterton?”

Henry was kind of happy to see Belle cringing at the mention of the man's name. If it hurt her instead of angering her, it meant she still loved him. Yet he had no theory to explain why she smiled again a couple of seconds later.

“Actually, it did help. Without that, I would never have known my father didn't have enough to make this month's payment.”

So it wasn't linked to her feelings for Gold. Too bad. Still, he smiled to continue with his plan.

“Emma and Bae will be happy to know that.”

“Why would they?”

“Since Emma was grounded, they convinced their parents to bring them to the flower show so they could still see each other. So they felt kind of responsible for the presence of Bae's father.”

“If they asked me, I could have told them that's nonsense. Gold has the right to be anywhere he wants. It could have happened anywhere and anytime. Please tell them they didn't do anything wrong.” Belle bit her lips, and added, “If anything, they made things better.”

Her half smile wasn't convincing. Or more exactly, it convinced him she was hiding something. After all, she never told him she liked Gold. A surprise attack might not be bad to get an answer, but it was too risky. Belle wasn't stupid, she'll discover operation Gecko sooner or later. Perhaps she would already have if her father's loan wasn't worrying her so much. Still, he would rather she didn't find out too soon about their plan or it might fail.

“Not everyone would agree with that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bae's dad has been acting weird since yesterday.”

“Weird?”

“More like depressed. Bae was worried yesterday because his dad barely spoke and stayed in his room for a while, something he rarely did. As soon as Bae learned about the argument, he was convinced it was the reason behind his behavior.”

Henry had been studying Belle's face as he spoke. She was biting her lip and frowning. He couldn't decide if it was in guilt or anger. Perhaps a bit of both.

“Do you know if his behavior changed that morning?”

He thought about it for a moment. Bae didn't exactly say his father was back to normal, just a bit better. That didn't mean he was fully recovered.

“He was still a bit distant. Bae said he stared at his cup of tea and didn't look up, even to answer him. At least he stopped grunting.”

Henry shrugged and offered an apologetic smile. The contrast between his angel's face and his gloomy answer did the trick to make Belle decide how she felt about Gold's state. She sighed, looked away and closed her eyes. When she looked back at him, there was a spark in her eyes that Henry had a hard time not grinning at.

“Is Bae planning on coming here today? I have to talk to him.”

In that moment, Belle looked like a warrior. He had no idea what she would do, but he would enjoy it. If the others were as successful as he had been in their mission, operation Gecko was sure to be a complete success. Bae could begin to plan the wedding.


	11. Chapter 11

Bae burst into the diner with a wide grin on his face. His mission had been a complete success and he couldn't wait to share it with his friends. His eyes immediately went to the trio's usual booth. He hoped to see Emma grinning and squirming on her seat as she eagerly watched out for his or Henry's arrival. In reality, the situation was the complete opposite of that. Emma was staring blankly at an empty glass in front of her. One of her hands made the glass turn while the other was holding her head. What had his father done to her? He cursed himself for sending her to him. From the start, he knew it could only end with them shouting at each other, but he still sent her. Even if she would not let him comfort her, he could not ignore her pain.

“Hey, how did it go?”

The forced smile on Bae's face almost faltered when Emma looked up at him and immediately went back to her glass. She straightened on her seat and scooted away to let him sit beside her. It was a start.

“Your father is a dickhead,” she told him matter-of-factly. “I hope you know that.”

Bae cringed a bit, but when Emma finally turned toward him and gave him a small smile, he did the same. He even dared to take her hand, which she surprisingly accepted. Emma wasn't usually very demonstrative in her affections, so every time she showed some love, Bae was equally worried and happy. Half of the time, she did it just because she was in the mood for it, but the other half, it was the same as now. She was feeling down and needed him to cheer her up. Either way, and even when she kept her distance, he loved being with her and would not change anything about her.

“I know, but thanks for the reminder.”

They stayed like this for a long minute. Bae hesitated about insisting on knowing what happened. Eventually, Emma solved that problem for him.

“He resisted, but I got him to promise to tell you the truth about what happened with Belle yesterday.”

“Really? That's wonderful, Emma! No one but you could have done it.”

His wide grin and enthusiasm made the corner of her mouth tug up. She was so lovely when she tried to stay angry but couldn't. He could barely believe he had that effect on her.

“Honestly, it wasn't that bad. I just had to shout at him and make him feel guilty.”

Bae shifted a bit in his seat. He knew it was for a good cause and that his father needed it, but according to what Emma said, she must not be the only one to feel bad right now. Emma was a bit uncomfortable too, but not for the same reason.

“Also, I might have said we all knew he's in love with Belle.”

“What? How did he react?”

“He didn't deny it. I told you, I'm sure he's still completely smitten with her. If he wasn't that stupid, you might have had a new mom before the end of the week. And maybe even a new brother or sister.”

“Emma!”

“What? Isn't that what you want?”

“I don't need to know what they'll do when they get together.”

“What did you think they'll do? Hold hands while they walk in the park? My parents aren't a good point of reference.”

The young man sighed and pretended to be angry to hide his blushing face. Of course, he wasn't ignorant about sex. It was Emma's ease with the topic that made him nervous. What if she didn't want to wait until they were sixteen, as he promised his father? They never talked about this since Emma wasn't that comfortable with physical contact. Anyway, that wasn't the point right now.

“Do you think he suspects anything about operation Gecko?”

“No. So far, he just knows you're concerned about him and his situation with Belle. You'll just have to be careful about what you tell him tonight.”

“Alright.”

They smiled at each other for a moment. If Emma had been in her right mind, she would have snorted and said they must look like idiots. Or she was just starting to accept that it was alright to look stupid when you were in love. Her sudden frown spoiled the moment.

“Your father must hate me now. If he didn't already hate me.”

“Hate you? You're joking. He's fond of you. I'd even say he's proud that you're my girlfriend.”

Emma cast him a dubious stare, daring him to tell her otherwise. He gladly accepted the challenge.

“At first, he was scared that you'd hurt me with your strong character. But now it's different. He knows you love me.”

As soon as Bae realized what he said, his heart missed a beat. Emma wasn't fond of the L word. However, her small smile gave him enough courage to go on.

“Besides, he likes the fact that you're not afraid of him.”

“So you're saying he's a masochist and me shouting at him made him like me even more?”

“Yes, and I'm sure he envies your tact too.”

They both laughed as Emma tried to hit him in the face. She really couldn't stay mad at him for long. Bae was grateful for that. Still, he would get her an extra nice present for Valentine's day to make up for sending her to the battlefield alone against his father. He even already had an idea.

The fight stopped when his phone rang. Could it be his father? Bae took his phone out of his bag and stared at the number displayed on the screen.

“It's Henry,” he said with a hesitant voice.

“What are you waiting for? Answer.”

Emma's impatience helped him to answer the call. If Henry had bad news, they would have done all that for nothing.

“Hey, Henry. What happened?”

“Are you done with what you had to do?”

Although he didn't answer him, his friend's cheerful tone gave him hope that the situation wasn't so desperate after all.

“Yes, it went great. Emma finished too, and with success.”

“Really? That's awesome. Can you come to the library?”

“Yes, why? Don't tell me Belle wants to talk to me.”

“Then I won't tell you, but hurry up,” Henry said before hanging up.

Bae gaped and couldn't close his mouth before Emma shut it for him.

“What was that?”

“My future mother-in-law wants to see me.”

* * *

Belle couldn't believe what she was about to do. Using a kid as a mean to get to his father was something she would never have condoned. But if Henry said the truth, then Gold gave her no other choice. She couldn't let him sink into depression because of… well, because of himself. Still, if she understood the situation correctly, he was in a sour mood because of his feelings for her. This was one strange and unhealthy proof of his affection, but she would take it nonetheless. That was, if her own feelings weren't making her imagine things. No. He liked her. She was sure of that. If he didn't, he would have done everything in his power to make it impossible for her to pay back her father's debt and turned her life into a living hell. However, even that didn't help her to still her fidgeting hands. She couldn't begin to tell Henry how grateful she was that he ignored it as he started talking about him and Grace.

The moment the door of the library opened, Belle straightened in her chair and stared at the newcomer. Bae flashed her smile, but she noticed his hand gripping Emma's. Belle clumsily got up, making her chair grate loudly against the ground. She cringed a bit, but it seemed seeing her in an equal nervous state made Bae more at ease. They were both smiling stupidly when Belle invited him to speak in private. The boy looked quizzically at his friends, but he nodded and he accepted her offer. She didn't know what she would have done if she had to face the three of them at once.

“No one will disturb us here,” she announced as she showed him to the archive room.

Her usual cheerful tone was a bit strained. She would have to be remedy that. It wasn't like Bae was about to eat her alive. They both sat on boxes of newspapers and, perhaps because they were facing each other, they didn't dare to speak. Belle was the grown-up in the room, so she gathered her courage and started.

“Henry told me your father wasn't well these days.”

“Yeah, he's been a bit gloomy lately.”

She had hoped Bae would elaborate, but he kept staring at his hands in his lap. Again, Belle crossed the bridge.

“And you think it's because of our argument at Chapterton?”

At that, he lifted his chin to look at her in the eye. His expression was hard to read, but among all his mixed emotions, it was hard to miss his concern.

“I'm not accusing you or anything, you absolutely have every right to be mad at him. That day, he behaved like a dickhead, to use Emma's words.”

Belle had trouble not to smile at that. She was relieved to see Bae's lips curled up a bit too.

“It's just that, when we came home, he wasn't the same.”

“Do you… Do you know what happened?”

“Just that you two and your father had a fight that didn't end well.”

Crap. That was just her luck.

“But he promised to tell me all about it tonight,” Bae added.

That was better, but not ideal. Still, she could work with that.

“Did he… mention me?”

It sounded less egocentric in her head. Anyway, she had no other way to ask him if his dad had feelings for her if he didn't drop a word.

“Well… He actually broke a plate when I mentioned your name this morning.”

So that pause had been a real hesitation about whether or not to reveal that domestic scene. Bae really was a good son. If he trusted her enough to tell her that, maybe she could risk something.

“Do you think he…”

“He still likes you,” he helped her when her voice trailed off. “A lot.”

That boyish grin on his face was the exact same as his father's. Belle couldn't help blushing. It was far more than she had hoped for.

“It's true,” he swore, mistaking her escaping eyes for denial. “I mean, he definitely liked you that night you rescued him. You should have seen how proud he was when he came home. A real peacock. Then he started to smile more and even hum when he made breakfast.”

Bae looked blankly at the ground, no doubt reviewing the happier memories. Although she hadn't been there, Belle tried to picture it too. Somehow, she didn't find it that hard to imagine Gold showing off to his son as he told her the epic tale of how he saved a fair lady like a shining white knight, or singing a happy tune as he stirred Bae's hot chocolate. If things didn't get better between them, she would never see him do these things. Her smile turned sour. When she looked up, she saw Bae's smile had suffered the same fate as hers.

“Now he barely smiles at all, or he's not sincere about it. He doesn't want me to worry, but it's not making anything better. I'm happy that at least he'll talk to me about it tonight.”

“I'm sure it will be of great help, for both of you.”

With those simple words, Belle managed to cheer Bae up. He grinned at her. Something struck her then: if she got together with Gold, she would become Bae's new mother figure. Right now, the boy didn't seem to mind it one bit. He even looked ready to encourage her. Now that she thought about it, she would not mind having him as a son.

“Is there anything else you want to know?”

That blew Belle's bubble in a thousand tiny pieces. She still hadn't told him the real reason behind their conversation, but she wasn't sure she should. She still wasn't comfortable with the idea of asking a child to plot against his father, but if Bae felt as ease with her as he looked, he wouldn't be shocked by what she would propose him. Maybe he would even enjoy taking part in it.

“Yes. Actually, I wondered if you thought it would be a good idea for me to talk to your father. I don't mean now, and if he's better after your talk with him, then it would be useless, but… if it could help, I would like to clear the misunderstandings between us.”

For a moment, Belle thought she should have kept her mouth shut because Bae couldn't close his. He gaped since the moment she told him about her plan. When Belle frowned, it seemed to unblock him. Bae's gape turned into a mischievous grin she had already seen on his father's face.

“That's a great idea. I think I have a way to make it work.”

* * *

On his way back home, Bae was smiling way too much for a kid supposed to be worried sick about his father's mood swings. At first, that talk with Belle had frightened him. There was so much at stake, he couldn't have walked into the library without Emma's hand in his own to still his quivering heart. As soon as he saw that Belle was equally nervous, everything went much better. In fact, it went even better than his wildest dreams.

Who could have guessed Belle wanted to ask him to join operation Gecko without even knowing it? She had been surprised when Bae started to expose his plan to her, but by the end of his speech, she was grinning and thanking him. She even told him how much he looked like his father when he talked business. Bae wasn't sure to take it as a compliment: most people who dealt with his father hated him. However, seeing Belle's smile comforted him in the idea that she was perfect for his father. She had to be the only person on Earth to like him when he was a ruthless bastard.

Now, all there was left to know was how his father really felt about her. From his behavior last day and this morning, there was no doubt he felt like shit. That never happened before. To him, deals were deals and nothing more. The one he had with Moe, and consequently with Belle, had to be the first one which affected him personally. Bae knew he shouldn't rejoice in his father's misery, but this conflict ought to do him some good. Hopefully, it would teach him that other people could enjoy his company and weren't out there waiting for the perfect opportunity to stab him in the back. That, however, was very much up to him. Tonight, Bae would get the chance to push him back on the right track. He just hoped he wouldn't push him to a ravine in his haste to get him ready for Valentine's day.

There were just two days left to the bracelet's distribution, five to the connection, and seven to the big day. Bae stopped on the threshold of his house. They could do it. His father had it in him and Bae would help him. Yes, they had to do it.

The boy took a deep breath. Now he was utterly terrified. At least, that would be more convincing than his earlier grin. What if his father had decided to give up after all? He could stay in his misery for the rest of his life. No. Belle wouldn't let him, and neither would Bae. He took another deep breath and finally came in.

Bae didn't know if his father would be home yet. With all his detours after school, it had taken him quite a long time to come home. Besides, Emma's visit either made him stay in his shop for as long as possible to avoid the confrontation and think of something, or it made him come home to avoid murdering clients. Either way, he would be stressed out as hell and smell like whiskey. His father never drank in front of him, but that didn't mean he was sober all the time. Bae disapproved of him hiding to drink. It made him look like an addict who didn't want to get caught. Or an over-protective dad who thought his son never tasted a drop of alcohol.

“I'm home!”

As every other day, Bae dumped his bag in the entrance and carefully put his skateboard in its place. Usually, when his father was home, he was reading on the sofa in the living room. Today, however, the door to the library was open and his dad soon emerged from it.

“Hey, son.”

His hair was a mess, an after effect of him raking through it when he was nervous. His small smile looked sad. To top it all, there was a stain on his shirt. To anyone, Gold was a ruthless monster, but to Bae, there wasn't a more vulnerable person in Storybrooke. His relationship with Belle would either make or break him. Bae would only have himself to blame if it goes wrong.


	12. Chapter 12

“How was your day, son?”

For a moment, Bae gaped at his scruffy-looking father. The hem of his shirt out of his pants was a rare sight, but also a worrying one. If this evening didn't work out, he'd cancel operation Gecko without an afterthought.

“Fine. Good, even.”

Gold nodded, raked a hand through his hair, and sighed.

“We have to talk, don't we?”

“Only if you want,” Bae quickly answered.

The smirk on his dad's face was more like him. All of a sudden, he looked like himself again.

“I did make a deal with your friend Emma, and I wouldn't like to anger her by coming back on my word. She looked ready to punch me in the face that evening.”

“Could it be that you're scared of Emma?”

That question asked with Bae's mischievous tone made his dad chuckle. Everything was right again. For now.

“Let's just say I'm glad she's on your side.”

His father put a hand on Bae's shoulder and walked with him to the living room. They sat side by side on the large gray sofa, not touching, but still close. Both of them were leaning forward with their forearms resting on their knees. A couple of seconds passed in silence, so Bae started conversation before it would get awkward.

“I'm sorry I send Emma.”

“Don't be. It was my fault. I should have noticed I upset you.”

“In your defense, you were pretty upset too.”

Gold stared at Bae as if he saw him for the first time. Had he said something wrong? The moment of panic stopped when his dad smiled at him fondly.

“I'll always wonder how you got so mature.”

Bae raised his shoulders and gave a simple but true explanation.

“My father raised me well.”

His dad looked like he was about to cry. He smirked as wide as physically possible to hold back the rush of emotions. Finally, he put an arm around his son's shoulders, pulled him closed to him and kissed the top of his head.

“Thank you, son. At least with you I know I did something good in my life.”

Bae had mixed feelings about this declaration. He loved how proud of him his father was, but the way he said it sounded gloomy. That had to change.

“It's not too late to do other good things, you know.”

The effect was immediate. His father sighed, put his arm back on his knee and leaned even more forward. Even if his hair was now hiding his face, it wasn't difficult to guess he looked conflicted. Deciding it was best not to rush him, Bae stayed silent and waited for him to begin. It took him three good minutes, but they were worth the wait.

“I think I made a mistake.”

It was hard for Bae to resist the urge to grin or hug his dad, or tell him how relieved he was. Still, there was no way he'd spoil the moment he had been waiting for so long.

“Everything was going so well between Belle and me, that… it looked too good to be true. So I jumped at the first reason I found that explained her behavior.”

Gold swallowed hard and kept on looking at his feet with a tortured expression on his face. Bae was almost scared at what his father would say next. But if what Belle told him was true, it couldn't be that bad. Could it?

“That day, at Chapterton, I literally bumped into Belle. Her father was there too. He started insulting me with such nonsense that I couldn't resist answering him back. My temper got the better of me and I ended up telling him that he was a burden for Belle, and that he'd deserve being homeless after I seize his shop.”

Bae gaped at his father who glanced at him with just a hint of embarrassment. It changed when Gold saw his son's reaction. He grind his teeth and closed his eyes. Bae didn't dare to say anything. When Gold opened his mouth again, he looked more shameful than that time when Bae was seven and he realized he heard him threaten one of his tenant to death.

“There's something worse.”

Again, he took his time before going on. He looked for a good way to present the news, but when he found none, he went for the raw truth.

“I told Belle she was seducing me to get my money to pay her father's loan.”

Bae's eyes opened to the point he wouldn't be surprised if they'd roll out of his head and meet his jaw on the carpet. How could he do that to Belle? And how could she have forgiven him for that? Maybe he just assumed she had. Perhaps she wanted to meet him to yell at him some more. Anyway, he kind of felt guilty for setting her with his father, knowing he's been so awful with her. Gold barely glanced at Bae. He couldn't stand the shock he glimpsed on his face.

“I know I was revolting! She was only defending her father and I… I jumped to conclusions.”

There was something in the pause Gold made before admitting he screwed up that scared Bae into pointing it out.

“You don't sound too sure about that.”

Gold didn't even look at his son. What other horrible thing would come out of his mouth?

“I keep thinking about what she said: that I was a coward and that I'd regret not trusting her. The more I think about it, the more I understand what she meant.”

Bae looked at his father like he was about to reveal the secret of life. He was actually getting trouble to breath.

“I miss her, son. She was the only person in town who seemed not to despise me, and I pushed her away for money. I should have given her my bank account,” he concluded with a sad chuckle.

His father could give all the forced laughs he wanted and make jokes that weren't remotely funny, Bae saw how much he suffered. Now that Bae understood why Gold got so despicable with Belle, they could work on it.

“Do you really think Belle is after your money?”

Gold sighed and run his hand through his hair. It was a wonder he hadn't done that since they started talking.

“I don't know. I mean, she seemed honest when she said she wasn't, but… Why else would she like me? I'm nearly twice her age, I have to walk with a cane, and I hate everyone, including her father who undoubtedly made sure she shared his opinion of me. I mean, she grew up in this town and never showed any interest in me before. So why now, right when her father's situation is getting desperate?”

Bae was about to cry of frustration. Why did his dad have to be like this? Of course, his mom… Because of her, he was more used to being loathed than loved. He didn't remember her, but right now he hated her. Bae got up and went to sit on the coffee table in front of his father who stared at him with his mouth agape.

“Papa, you're far better than you think you are. Of course you're not perfect, but who is? You're not a cranky cripple. You've got style and wit, you're smart, and you cook better than Granny. And… you're the best father in the whole world. You're so good with me, did it never occur to you that you were just the same with Belle? She saw the man behind the monster everyone think you are because you let her in. Maybe you didn't even notice it, but you drop your mask whenever you're with her. You smile, and laugh, and you make each other happy. Belle noticed it. She likes you. She likes you very much.”

Gold couldn't believe what he heard. He stared at his son in a stupid mute wonder. His eyes got glassy with tears.

“How? How would you know?”

His voice was strained with emotion. He just could not have heard his son say those things.

“I… I kind of saw you when you went to the town hall. I wanted to know if you registered.”

Without evidence, his father would never believe him. Bae couldn't care less if his great scheme was discovered. His dad needed help with his self-esteem issue and no one but Bae could give him the pat on the back he needed so desperately.

Gold didn't answer him and continued to stare with a bewildered fascination in his son's eyes. The small shake of his head wasn't reassuring, so Bae went on.

“Henry told me many things about Belle. He said… He said she looks at the world with her heart, because she's sensitive and caring. You should trust her. If she feared you were as bad as you think, she would never have bothered with you. As for why now, she just never got the occasion to meet you before. And you said it yourself, her father didn't encourage her to seek you out. Now that you have the chance to be with her, do you really want turn your back on it?”

“No. Of course no.”

It came only as a whisper while his father looked away, but his dad's answer pleased him more than every present he ever got in entire life.

“Then you'll talk to her tomorrow?”

Gold nodded distractedly before his voice found the words.

“Yes. I don't know what I'll say, but—”

“Just beg for her forgiveness and tell her you're really stupid. That should do the trick.”

Gold looked up at him at once. His shocked expression found the amused one of his son. He cracked a smile.

“I mean, she cooked for you. And I might add that she looked really disappointed when she saw it was me who brought back her basket.”

It finally occurred to Gold how personal that discussion had turned. That's what happens when you mistake your far too wise for his age son with your own conscience. Bae would make a wonderful shrink. Gold hid his blushing face in his hands, but it was too late: Bae had seen how red he looked. The little brat could have cooked dinner on his face.

“But I have the most insolent son! How could she ever want to talk to me again?”

A cushion hit Gold square in the face. He asked for it, really, so he didn't complain.

“I don't know what she sees in you either, old man, but she chose you and I heard from Henry—”

“No more spoiler.”

“What?”

“If Belle still wants me, I want to get to know her by myself and have an honest relationship. So no more cheating.”

“Since when do you play by the rules?”

“Bailey Gold! How dare you talk to your father this way?”

The same weapon that Bae had carelessly left on the ground was used against him. This time, however, the punishment was unfair, so the victim struck back. Bae managed to snatch the cushion from his father's hands and hit him twice while they laughed.

“I give up! I give up,” Gold pleaded with his hands raised in surrender. “Please spare the life of an old man with a child.”

“Only if you tell me what you intend to do about Belle.”

That topic brought back some of the serious atmosphere of their previous discussion. Gold tried to correct his slumped position on the couch resulting from their fight, but Bae collapsed beside him and put his head against his shoulder. His father took this occasion to mess with Bae's hair rather than his own.

“This isn't a military operation, son. You can't rush these things. Besides, it's not even been a minute since you told me what a moron I've been. It's hard to take.”

“But Valentine's Day is coming fast. You need to be ready.”

“Oh sh… I forgot about this stupid bracelet,” he realized, looking at the ceiling to think. “I guess I could quit, but Belle signed up too and I don't know her enough to ask her to quit for me. So there's a chance she'll meet a nice young lad who'll forbid her from talking to me. Unless…”

Gold slowly turned his head toward his son and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Do you think Henry could—”

“You said no more cheating.”

Bae grinned, assuming his dad wouldn't take him seriously. But he did.

“You're right. I have to do this properly. I messed up once already, I can't have that happening again.”

In a rush of good resolutions and new hopes, Gold got up.

“I'll think of something, don't worry. Are you helping me making dinner, or do you have homework to do?”

Bae opened his mouth to pretext having homework, but another matter came back to him. He ended up starting what would probably turn into an argument.

“Actually, I have something to ask you.”

The uncertainty in Bae's voice alarmed him. Gold sat again quickly, staring worriedly at his son.

“Yes, anything.”

“I want to buy a special kind flowers for my Valentine's Day date with Emma, but they're very expensive.”

“Was the price excessive?”

Game of Thorns was the only flower shop in town, so of course he would think this was a way for Moe to get back at him. Bae mentally prepared himself to fight with his father. He hated it, but he couldn't avoid it this time.

“No, Moe was very nice to me. He said he would have made me a discount if he had the means.”

“And I'm sure he reminded you why he didn't have those means.”

“He didn't have to make me an offer.”

“He didn't have to propose something he couldn't give.”

Both their voices had risen just bellow the point of shouting. In less than a minute, their earlier understanding was gone. Father and son realized this quickly. Silence followed. And Bae still hadn't said anything about his intention to work with Moe. He relaxed a bit when Gold made a peace offering.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper over him again.”

“Well, you'll have to work on it if you're to see Belle again.”

Bae said it in a jest, but this idea visibly pained Gold who sighed heavily.

“I know, I'll try.”

The weariness in his father's voice was far from convincing. Bae hesitated to tackle this issue which seemed the origin of his problem with Belle. One step a day would have to do. His dad already had many things to think about that night, he didn't want to exhaust him.

“What will you do about these flowers?” Gold asked.

“I will work to earn enough money to pay for them.”

Even though Bae expected his dad to be glad he decided to take his responsibilities instead of asking him for an advance on his allowance, he didn't think he would actually beam at him.

“You want to work with me at the shop?”

Shit. Bae shouldn't have let room for interpretation and worked a bit more on his speech before talking. He took a deep breath before stepping into volcanic terrain. He could do it, for Emma.

“No. I have a deal with Moe, he—”

“What? You're not seriously—?”

“Let me finish!”

Bae got up as he shouted. Now he could be sure he wouldn't get interrupted before he made his point. If his father didn't get to criticize Moe, there was a chance he might agree to his plan.

“Moe was as reluctant as you to let me work for him, so he made me promise to ask for your consent. This is not about you, about Moe, or about Belle, or anyone but me and Emma. I need those flowers to have a perfect date with her and I will have them, and no one will stop me even if I have to do stuff behind your back! So sign me a damn paper!”

When he was finished, Bae was shaking. He frowned at his father who was gaping and staring unblinkingly at him with a terrified expression. For a moment, Bae worried he went too far. He practically never shouted at his father like that. He could count the number of serious arguments he had had with him on his fingers. Perhaps this exceptional shouting would make his dad understand how important this was for him. All that was so confusing. However, his father was the best in the world. After the shock of being yelled at by his nice and cheerful son, Gold smiled at him.

“Alright.”

“Alright?”

Bae couldn't believe what he heard. Gold's beloved and only son would work for his mortal enemy and his answer was 'alright'?

“But on two conditions. First: I'll draft you a contract that Moe will have to sign and respect. And second: I will come with you tomorrow.”

“Papa…”

With so few words, Gold put Bae in a state of anxiety that didn't even come close to the one he was in when he kissed Emma for the first time.

“Don't worry, Bae. I'm not doing this to settle the score with him. I get that this is very important for you, and I promise you I will not do anything that would interfere with your date's plans. I just want to make sure everything will be alright for you.”

His father looked honest enough, but there was a gap between him saying he would control his temper and him actually doing it, worst of all when Bae's well-being was at hand.

“Okay. So that means no shouting, no insulting, even implied, and no smirking.”

“You know I smirk like I breathe.”

“Well, then limited smirking.”

Gold rolled his eyes, but when he noticed Bae frowned at him, he immediately got serious again and raised his hands.

“Do we have a deal?”

“Of course we do, son.”

Gold hold a hand out to his son. Bae was about to shake it, but as soon as their hands were holding each other, his father pulled him into his arms. Not expecting this, Bae landed ungracefully against him, knocking the air out of his dad's lungs in a loud grunt. They both laughed for couple of minutes, then the young man sat more comfortably on his dad's lap, resting his head bellow his father's chin. Bae was definitely too old to be held by his father like that, but after the emotions of the day and their long painful conversation, it felt good to have his dad's arms around him.

“You're becoming as good as your old father at making deals. Maybe I should ask you to work with me at the shop for the next holidays.”

“Yes, I'm sure you would learn a thing or two.”

“You'd better be careful not to become too much like me. Having one arrogant bastard in this family is more than enough.”

“But Belle seems to likes arrogant bastards, and I want her to like me.”

“Oh, shut up, Bae.”


End file.
